Tubridy's interviewing

DB10 wrote: »

I think this needs its own thread, its a debate we see every week when "Tubs" constantly ruins a chance for a good interview with interesting guests due to his poor interviewing skills and general smugness.

My main annoyance with him is his overplaying of the whole "Irish in you" bollocks you talks to every foreign guest.

Even as someone with somewhat nationalist views, "Tubs" constant overplaying of guests Irish history, Irish like characteristics, Irish traits, travelling in Ireland, is completely boring and OTT at this stage.

In fact it is cringeworthy whenever there is a non Irish guest and Tubs forces Ireland into every conversation.


I have to totally disagree with you, he is one of the best presenters on t.v. he has a great sense of humour... and puts his interviewees at ease...

Its the same in every interview. Yes this is Ireland, but we dont want it shoved down the throats of every single guest.

I totally disagree with you, he is the best presenter on t.v./radio, his has a brilliant sense of humour particularly on the radio and puts his interviewees at ease as soon as they come on.

I agree 100% with the OP. The worst bit for me is when he has an interesting guest on and insists on talking to them about something entirely unrelated to what they were there to talk about!
For example when Richard Dawkins was a guest on TLLS, Tubbers brought everything back to 'the god delusion', even having audience members have a pop at him when he was there to promote his book on evolution!

First off i'll start by saying Tubridy will host the late late for YEARS to come. No matter how bad. And thats not because of nepotism. Its because everyone watches the f*cking thing. If only to moan about how bad he is. The viewing figures speak for themselves, the highest they have been in years. Advertising justifies his wages also. If you want him off the TV then DO NOT WATCH.

Personally, I watched him last year. I was never a fan of Tubridy tonight and didn't think he was any worse on the late late than he was on his Saturday Night show. The Late Late brings alot more scrutiny though and he is under the microscope now.
The key to being a good host is that you need to appear to be an expert on all topics (even if you are not) and the viewer needs to believe this is so. Tubridy does not fit this criteria.

I like my sport and Movies in particular, and when I see a movie star or sports figure on the late late my initial interest in hearing what they have to say is almost immediately shot down by my knowledge of the fact that Tubridy has clearly no f*cking clue about either of these topics in any great detail. So we are faced with a generic line of questioning which is in theory insulting to the audience watching, as its really an idiots guide to football or boxing or the oscars or whatever. When we see a movie star, we are treated to a clip of such person in a movie/TV from years gone by which is often followed by a bemused look on that persons face as if to say, "is that all you remember me for".

And thats only 2 topics of conversation that I find particularly interesting (movies and sport). Others will say the same about other topics such as his inability to go in depth into politics without showing FF preferences (although not as bad as some make out).

Rather than be a jack of all trades like a good host should be, Tubridy is really a very niche market expert on books and such. The guy also has a clear interest in US politics and his face lights up when the topic is brought up.

A good interviewer will make someone feel at ease in order to draw out more information, get them to open up in a comfortable but unforced environment. Tubridy makes people feel at ease but only in a way that makes the interviewee feel that they will get a cushy ride to promote their book or whatever. And the really top guests who are used to interview after interview are bored by the lack of challenge posed by this lightweight.

He comes across as a nice guy, has quite little grasp of life outside his own D4 bubble but this is not his own fault obviously, so the viewer finds it hard to relate to him. At first sign of confrontation he will back down and bow to a guest so he loses respect from them which ends any chance of an intriguing interview. He is like the mate who longs for you to open up to her but you don't feel in any way comfortable doing that and his efforts to draw you out make you retreat even further.
Couple all of that with his refusal to deviate from scripted questions so it never seems like a chat. Its like he sets an agenda, talk about family for 5 minutes, career for 5 and future plans for another 5. How many times have you seen Tubridy ask a question only for things to go off on a tangent where they end up forgetting the original question or else jokingly come back to the question later? Thats usually a good sign when that happens because its off the cuff, but he always keeps it to the script. he cannot cut loose. Must not deviate from the usual line of questioning Ryan, he tells himself.

I won't even the mention his obsession with asking about Irish connections, dead family members etc.... as thats plain to see every week.

Bottom line, he is a nice bloke. totally out of touch with the average person but he doesnt have the humour, charisma (or talent if we are honest) to compensate for being out of touch. Its a natural thing, lack of common touch. And its not becasue he is a bad bloke who doesn't care, its just a noticeable lack of common touch. He doesnt have the tools you cannot teach to be a good host, the natural instincts.

But the vitriol towards him is a joke aswell. The way people tune in to watch to criticise is very funny. I know people on here have a laugh at it, but if you do not watch he does not get ratings and advertising will not be sufficient to cover his wages. Figures at an all time high indicate he must be doing a sterling job so then you need to take a good look at the person who is watching perceived rubbish every week.

I'd walk to Dublin in the morning naked to host the show for his wages so he would be an idiot to turn it down or pack it in.

The biggest culprits are the RTE executives who should have an eye for talent. They have handpicked him as the golden boy of RTE, so if anyone needs the vitriol its them. And as always is the case with Ireland, he will turn into a legend but not by virtue of his talent, rather the fact he has been around for so damn long and people will accept him as a permanent part of the furniture.

JonathanAnon wrote: »

I think what bugs me most is that people in public service seem to be rewarded for mediocrity, just because they are well connected... A million euro for this lad? I think ex Financial Regulator Pat Neary was better value for money...

I do tune in to laugh at him... I know the word Alan Partridge is probably overused in reference to him, but he's actually become the real life embodiment of that character.. I uploaded this a while ago, it's a snapshot of the sort of rubbish he comes out with on the radio show every morning.. ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCzsF4PmnzU

Same forced (supposedly humourous) metaphors, making up of his own words, singing, awkward conversations with guests... it's all there.. And I beat when Steve Coogan hears his forced, uncomfortable conversation with the newsreaders, I bet he's thinking "Jesus that would have been great on the show"..

I hear you, but your response to this mediocrity is to keep watching. Thats a reflection on you too. You say people are happy with mediocrity but clearly you are too if you watch every week.
In this game, viewing figures will determine how successful he is and how much advertising revenue he can generate. And its as high as its ever been. Nothing to do with his talent, rather the people who are happy with watching rubbish (yourself included) tuning in week in week out.

I mean this post with the greatest of respect, but tuning in to moan and whinge is just as stereotypical of us Irish as you claim Tubs to be a parody of Partridge.
I'll repeat what I said, if you don't like it don't watch it. Viewing figures will determine whether he continues or not.

JonathanAnon wrote: »

well it's not quite that I get in the popcorn, get all the friends round and have a Tubridy night in .. I always have it on in the background while I'm doing a bit of work on a website, having a drink, chatting on here etc... I dont have the channels so my viewing options are limited..

But you made the point yourself (and I agree) that unless RTE pull the LLS altogether, Tubridy is NOT going to be fired or replaced.. The job is his, no matter how poor he is, until he should choose to retire himself.. so whether 2 million people watch it or nobody watches it, the host will stay the same..

He has NO natural feel for interviewing, and we are paying him a million euro a year.. If he can justify in his own head pulling a million euro from the state coffers for giving mediocre performances, then he deserves to be criticised.. In any proper private business he would be moved on to something else.. He should have been moved on to being the American correspondent when Charlie Bird left, I thought that job would have been ideal for him.. him being in love with all things yankee..

But its a vicious circle, He does justify his wages as advertising is premium price during LLS transmission. The more people who watch the LLS the higher the price of ads during that slot. So advertising more than covers Tubridys salary. Thats the reality. If nobody watched, advertising prices would be drastically reduced and RTE would have to cut their cloth accordingly i.e Tubridy would be on less money as that would be what the market dictated.

The people decide, if you watch you contribute to his success. If people turned off I think you would be surprised in seeing that RTE would have to actually take action, whether that means salary reduction or moving him on. Right now they have no reason to.

Thats an indictment on people who watch I reckon. If you like it then all when and good, enjoy. But if you cannot stand it, and claim he needs to be moved on and you also watch it, then thats quite a ridiculous contradiction.

Irish people will always watch the LLS regardless of who is hosting it.

Jayob10 wrote: »

If you want him off the TV then DO NOT WATCH.

We have no infuence over the ratings. Its the people are with TAM ratings boxes who have all the power in this respect. (still, I think?)

We must find out who these people are and introduce them to the joys of graham norton...

fussyonion wrote: »

I have to disagree.
I watched the Late Late Show when Gay and Pat hosted it and I found them fusty and very stiff.
Ryan is much more warm and approachable and he has the entertainment factor. I mean, why do Irish people feel the need to condemn every single person on telly?
For God's sake, he's there for entertainment and nothing more and if you dont' like him, turn off!
Bloody misery guts the whole lot of you.

for a fussy onion...you're not so fussy!

Maybe the quality if the show would improve was reduced from 2 1/4 hours to 1 1/4.
There is no place for 2 weekly chat shows on RTE.
And why the Late Late anyway,
Its hanging on to the old values, we dont need it.
Get a presenter like Norton or Paul OGrady to liven things up a bit.
To hell with RTE.