Remembering Boyne
THERE ARE few statements that I can make and confidently say that they are irrefutable. One is that I am going to die. The inevitability of my own death is a fact that I accept and have made peace with. The thought of my own demise no longer worries me. On the other hand, the death of those close to me, or who I am fond of, rattles me.
Ian Boyne’s death exemplifies the latter. I am still feeling numb. Of course, I knew that he would not live forever, but the man had become such a fixture on television and in the newspaper that it is difficult to imagine him absent from our media landscape.
I was fortunate enough to have been interviewed by Ian on both his television programmes, Profile and Religious Hardtalk, and enjoyed a great relationship with him. He appreciated my sense of humour and comedic work, and although our views on religion differed, he was always respectful of my opinions and understood that my questions on the topic were genuine.
When Ian celebrated the 30th anniversary of Profile this year, a remarkable achievement, he asked me to write a poem about him and the programme and to share it at the event staged at King’s House to commemorate the milestone. Ian absolutely loved it, and while I grieve, I also wish to remember him the way he was whenever we spoke, on or off the air: smiling or laughing his head off. So, today I would like to share the poem with you, a piece titled The Profile of a Profiling Profiler.