Caroline Morahanhosting Off the Rails Live at the RDS in Dublin.
"In a word, it's manic," says Caroline Morahan, describing how she squeezes filming Off the Rails, the RTÉ fashion show she presents with Pamela Flood, into the same week as hosting its live spin-off. "The wheels of Off the Rails don't stop turning for anything, and it takes five full days of work to film one episode, so all the stuff for Off the Rails Live has to happen around that. Pamela and I top and tail each of the event's fashion shows, and we film a show while we are there, too. We have really loyal viewers who have stuck with us over the years, so it's a great opportunity for us to meet as many of them as we can."
As well as fashion shows, Off the Rails Live includes boutiques, seminars, more than 150 exhibitors and a pamper zone. Morahan and Flood will also be on the lookout for makeover victims. "I like to think of the event as a Santa's grotto for women. I remember going to the Head 2 Toe event as a teenager, and my eyes were falling out of my head at the glamour. I think we've taken that to another level. It's fantastic for bargain-hunting - and I don't know many women who aren't interested in a bargain."
After eight seasons, Off the Rails' ratings are still increasing, and Off the Rails Live is now Ireland's biggest beauty and fashion event. Central to the show's success is the girl-next-door accessibility of its leading ladies. "I wouldn't say I have no shame, but I am not afraid to be myself on camera," says Morahan. "I don't have a need to be perfect or hyper-glam all the time. Don't get me wrong: I love the glam stuff. But I think viewers can see that I am a real woman and that they are not watching a model. That makes the style more accessible, because they think if I can wear it, so can they."
Rumours abounded last year that RTÉ was planning to axe Off the Rails. Morahan is unfazed by the speculation. "We always wanted to end things on a high, and I've always treated every series as the last. We assumed that it would end after this one, but now I think they are not really sure. I don't get nervous about the future at all any more. If you choose to be worried, that's your day destroyed. Worry eats at your insides. I prefer to look on life as having infinite possibilities." Michael Kelly
Off the Rails Live opens next Friday. Tickets €26.50 from www.ticketmaster.ie