Gay Byrne can still outdo the rest. He himself has no doubt about that - and with good reason, neither does his hard-working team - but now it's official. The longest-running television talk show in the world is the subject of a doctoral thesis by Dr Finola Doyle O'Neill, who lectures in Irish media studies at UCC.
Recently, she conducted a survey of 1,011 adults in the Republic. They were asked to comment on The Late Late Show and to compare it to shows like Kenny Live and to some of the more popular American ones which have been attracting growing audience numbers. As he reads this in his Donegal summer retreat, Gaybo will be happy to discover he has won hands-down. If that's possible, he may even return to the airwaves with renewed gusto. Love him or hate him, Gay Byrne has left his mark on Irish broadcasting. In her study, Dr Doyle O'Neill asked people of 15-years-plus to give opinions. Some 82 per cent of the respondents watched Byrne's show "at least a few times a year"; 56 per cent agreed that Gay Byrne was generally better than other talk show hosts; 64 per cent of those interviewed felt he should not retire; while another 56 per cent were of the opinion that Ireland's most famous voice was still very much in touch with audiences in the Republic. Out at Montrose, this finding may have a bearing on the new schedules. Out with the old and in with the new, insiders say, has become a maxim at RTE of late. Some day, naturally, he must be replaced. It will be a hard act to follow. Where's the act? The UCC thesis portrays The Late Late Show as an interrogator of Irish life - "publicly and unapologetically questioning the morals and mores of Irish society." Dr Doyle O'Neill says the show has done a considerable amount "to promote Irishness and the rich cultural history associated with the country." Her basic tenet is that the show has gained a place in Ireland's social history, through its discussion of core issues that sometimes had to be dragged into the debating chamber.
"By providing a public space for frank discussion, the show is a prime example of the complex and profound effect of the media on Irish culture. The show brought the American-style talk show out of the realms of light entertainment by using its open-ended format to probe and question some of the most entrenched conservative values," says Dr Doyle O'Neill.
Of interest, too, is that she conducted a separate survey of 92 media history students at UCC. Familiar with American talk shows, they felt that while programmes like Geraldo, Ricki Lake and Montel Williams had more entertainment in the strictest application of the term, The Late Late Show was of much more importance to Irish life and society.