Only 3 days to go until...

DublinWriter

...Ireland's favourite cultural train-wreck, otherwise known as the Late-Late show returns to our screens.

Yes, yes, yes! Thrill to the in-depth interviews...

Plank: So Ronan, how difficult must it be being great?

...have your mind stretched by the €1 difficult txt-competitions...

In which political system is the Euro not used:

A. Ireland
B. France
C. The Planet Skyron

...and almost feel your nipples explode in delight as you watch well known Irish musical acts explore radical new artistic avenues:

1. Westlife, promoting their new CD of Gregorian Chant
2. Daniel O'Donnel suddenly embracing rap after he announces to a stunned audience that he will only answer to the name of 'M.C. Ho-slappah' after jumping on stage during a impromptu rendition of 'The Irish Rover' by Ronnie Drew and House of Pain.
3. Sinead O' Connor, well, being Sinead O' Connor.

Yes yes yes! All this and Louis Walsh, Brendan O'Carroll and Renault Ireland too!

Ruu_Old

DublinWriter wrote:

...Ireland's favourite cultural train-wreck, otherwise known as the Late-Late show returns to our screens.

Yes, yes, yes! Thrill to the in-depth interviews...

Plank: So Ronan, how difficult must it be being great?

...have your mind stretched by the €1 difficult txt-competitions...

In which political system is the Euro not used:

A. Ireland
B. France
C. The Planet Skyron

...and almost feel your nipples explode in delight as you watch well known Irish musical acts explore radical new artistic avenues:

1. Westlife, promoting their new CD of Gregorian Chant
2. Daniel O'Donnel suddenly embracing rap after he announces to a stunned audience that he will only answer to the name of 'M.C. Ho-slappah' after jumping on stage during a impromptu rendition of 'The Irish Rover' by Ronnie Drew and House of Pain.
3. Sinead O' Connor, well, being Sinead O' Connor.

Yes yes yes! All this and Louis Walsh, Brendan O'Carroll and Renault Ireland too!

That I would tune in to see.

DublinWriter

Sorry, yes, #2 would be worth the €147 license fee alone.

I should have said something like...

2. Hear Daniel O'Donnell sing his new self-penned tune "Let's not go out and have a cup of tea instead".

Let's not go out indeed Daniel...

Flukey

I see your withdrawal symptoms are really getting bad.

Well I will have the good fortune to be out on Friday night.

Enjoy it!

Procrastinator

Those 1 euro money quizzes are just money spinners. You know those 'games' or so called quizzes on the TV, particularly on UTV, its rumopured that in the UK, the ITC or the Gov or whatever are talking about to re-classifying them as gambling and not quizzes, because its all about if your name's picked or not after you pay the initial fee.

the TV compaines are objecting because, if its gambling and not quizzing, then they have to pay a proportion of their profits, I think about 20%, to the cvharities, like the national lottery.

i think all those text in, phone in things are really legitimised gambling and money-making scams.

If you calculate the amount of money potentially made from the calls, the amounf far outweighs the cost of the prize. They're a profit making exercise...I think shows should have whatever they make on these, withheld from their proportion of the licence fee!

Anyway, pat kenny...the kennycam's better. I think watching pat's like voting in ireland...people are 'loyal' to what they've always voted for, or watched for ages in this case, no matter what ****e they're presented with.

We have to get the ratings for this garbage down...that's the only answer and demand some better programming from RTE.
Incidentally, how are the ratings collected? I've never been asked once, about what i watched on TV and I lived in Dublin for 10 years. Nor have I ever heard of anyone having a ratings box in their house.

Does anyone know personally of someone who's involved in the sumbission of their ratings?

Kojak

Oh Brilliant - this is shaping up to be the best year yet. I can't wait. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

DublinWriter

I know this has been doing the rounds, but worth reminding about:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kTZSw-5g1Y
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdCK4wx9S0c

Mossy Monk

the way i view the Late Late is what else is there on a Friday night?

you could be watching much worse

Cabaal

DublinWriter wrote:

I know this has been doing the rounds, but worth reminding about:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kTZSw-5g1Y
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdCK4wx9S0c

Its the perfect medium to display Pats skills, he should get an award

mike65

Mossy you could watch Apocalypse Now on Film Four or South Park on Paramount!

Mike.

Thumper Long

well renault ireland have not renewed their sponsorship after 5 years and apparently rte are having afwul trouble trying to find another sponsor willing to shell out 1.3m euro a year on a programme watched by a majority demographic that real companies aren't interested in only car manufactuers like old man renault

Mossy Monk

mike65 wrote:

Mossy you could watch Apocalypse Now on Film Four or South Park on Paramount!

Mike.

i could but i have Apocolypse Now on dvd and South Park on my pc i'll probably not turn on the tv anyway. havent watched it regularly in ages now

gustavo

On a semi related note:)
http://www.langerland.com/content/view/73/45/

mike65

Trouble is, RTE simply can't let the show die as they know AN Other channel would simply revive it and clean up on whichever night they choose to show it.

Mike.

DublinWriter

mike65 wrote:

Trouble is, RTE simply can't let the show die as they know AN Other channel would simply revive it and clean up on whichever night they choose to show it.

You mean like TV3 tried to do?

BTW I always thought it was a big mistake for TV3 to personalise that show as Dunphy is a renowned walker, that's walker with an 'L'.

They shound have stuck it out for the long term, called it something like "Saturday Live from the Helix".

I think people's viewing habits have changed, but RTE haven't. People forget that Gaybo was also the producer of the show during his time, and an excellent one at that.

mike65

Dunphy show was a failure cos it was Dunphy I reckon. Had TV3 shown some
wit and got (insert name here) and then put it on a Saturday they would have built a steady audience.

Mike.

DublinWriter

mike65 wrote:

Had TV3 shown some
wit and got (insert name here) and then put it on a Saturday they would have built a steady audience.

Well that's the hard part, isn't it? - insert name here. There isn't exactly a shining pool of TV presenter talent in this country. Anyone with a bit of sense usually buggers off to the UK (Andrews, Gaybo, Henry Kelly...no wait, forget I even mentioned Henry Kelly).

I'm no fan of Dunphy, but I reckon he was getting into the swing of it by the end of the series. The trouble was TV3 heralded it as the second coming to advertisers, and the initial viewer numbers just weren't there.

Telefís

Indeed even if Dunphy was on Saturday it would have been a potential success only he was unwilling to give up his weekends, which was understandable given his schedule at the time, but disasterous from a transmission perspective. To this day though I'm surprised that TV3 as a commerical operator risked going out on Friday given it was on a collision course for failure, albeit much faster than expected...
And now RTÉ have moved in and cornered the Saturday night market too! TV3 have completely lost out.

Great initial post there DublinWriter . For once I agree with your sentiments, though would also argue that what you list are generally one-offs in what's otherwise fairly strong content. As RTÉ has spared no effort in telling us, last season's LL was the most watched ever in the past seven years, and the fortunes of the show generally appear to be on the up, in spite of the many cringe-inducing features on the show.

And from the few episodes I saw last season, there's been a heck of an improvement on previous years - notably the concept of a debate *shock!* has been reintroduced to the Late Late after years in the wilderness.
If only they could give some decent time to these segments, allow the show to overrun when necessary (eh, it's part of your job crew to be working unpredicatable hours), actually get some debating guests other than Fintan O'Toole and Mr Pretentious from the Independent, and a little less bluster and more coherence, we might actually be on to something.

DublinWriter

Telef&#237 wrote: »

Great initial post there DublinWriter . For once I agree with your sentiments, though would also argue that what you list are generally one-offs in what's otherwise fairly strong content.

Good to see you back Telefís. You've been very quiet during the summer, but then again, you do work for RTE!

It is true the LL lost Renualt Ireland as the sponsor? I hope not because that means Bill Cullen will be allowed to be a guest. Oh Christ.

You're right, they really could do with more fresh faces and not keep dragging up the usual rent-a-gobs such as John Waters and Tintin O'Foole when they want to have a 'serious' discussion about something.

It would be tempting to have something like an extended version of The Panel up there on a Friday night.

Telefís

DublinWriter wrote:

but then again, you do work for RTE!
.

lol - we've all just returned from our mass exodus to southern Spain, 'fresh faced and tanned' as the RTÉ Guide put it this week

Yeah the debate guests seem to be hard to get hold of now - surprisingly few people around nowadays that can speak without ranting, be well-informed, and also all-round entertaining. And that extends to the audience too - everyone's far too smug and self-satisfied nowadays to care about proffering an opinion. They're all quite willing to hoot and applaud the mindless ranter on stage, but fail to offer anything of substance themselves; adjusting one's clothing and touching up the lipgloss for the cameras if of much greater importance.
A lot more has changed on the LL than just Byrne's replacement; there's a whole host of factors influencing things.

Yes Renault announced the contract ending before the summer, but sure that never stopped Cullen - I heard he's been on the show a couple of times! Indeed given that internet video doing the rounds, one would wonder if Lego aren't the next sponsors - family viewing, targeting middle class parents... ah it's all falling into place now!

DublinWriter

Telef&#237 wrote: »

one would wonder if Lego aren't the next sponsors - family viewing, targeting middle class parents... ah it's all falling into place now!

Don't you mean 'clicking' into place!

*ducks*

mike65

Just flicked it on, are those the worst seats in TV history? The backs are so low the guests appper to be sliding out fowards, legs akimbo!

Mike.

Pigman II

mike65 wrote:

guests appper to be sliding out fowards, legs akimbo!

Pity they didn't have Toireasa Ferris on again in that case.

DublinWriter

mike65 wrote:

Just flicked it on, are those the worst seats in TV history? The backs are so low the guests appper to be sliding out fowards, legs akimbo!

Mike.

I only noticed that once you mentioned it. Their feckin knees were almost at chest level!

I shall write an angry letter to the DG demanding my license fee back post-haste.

Still, it's not as bad as what auld Gaybo used to do with the seating arrangements. His own chair was placed on a couple of layers of breeze-blocks to make him tower over the guests. That's why the old set had the desk like arrangement so you couldn't see below waist level.

I'll stop now as I'm starting to sound like Telefis, blowing all of RTE's corporate secrets.

mike65

The old "host-hoist" trick! Most US talk-shows have the same set-up, to remind everyone who's show it really is.

Mike.

Milktrolley

Telef&#237 wrote: »

...If only they could give some decent time to these segments, allow the show to overrun when necessary (eh, it's part of your job crew to be working unpredicatable hours)..

I've always wondered why they refuse to let the show go overtime when there's at least another half an hour they could get out of it sometimes. Surely it makes sense to hold on to 600,000 viewers while you have them? They'll watch for another 30 minutes if it's a debate that's starting to get good, probably not if it's their Late Late Movie. They'd actually be better off putting in the effort, and keep Ken Hammond waiting in the newsroom, i.e. cupboard / shed, for the late summary. At least Gay knew that.

DublinWriter

Milktrolley wrote:

They'll watch for another 30 minutes if it's a debate that's starting to get good, probably not if it's their Late Late Movie. They'd actually be better off putting in the effort, and keep Ken Hammond waiting in the newsroom, i.e. cupboard / shed, for the late summary. At least Gay knew that.

Gay was able to do that because in the 60's/70's and early 80's the Late Late was the last thing on at night before closedown, so extending it by up to 15 mins didn't really affect the nighttime schedule.

spanner

haha

I have another one during the sunami he was interviewing some thai people living in Ireland:

Pat: so who is missing in your family?

Thai person: my brothers, sisters and parnets

Pat: And you probably wont see them again

spanner

just look at the talent of the guests, they used to have major politcal and church figures, great comedians like Billy Connolly, Breaking through Artists now they have Shane Lynch

I said it before and I say it again Gerry Ryan should of got the job

DublinWriter

spanner wrote:

I said it before and I say it again Gerry Ryan should of got the job

Oh gawd no.

Milktrolley

DublinWriter wrote:

Gay was able to do that because in the 60's/70's and early 80's the Late Late was the last thing on at night before closedown, so extending it by up to 15 mins didn't really affect the nighttime schedule.

But there was many a Friday in the 90s where the CA had to apologise for the changes to the schedule. It's their flagship programme, they should be willing to overrun by 15 minutes or so if there's a topic which is turning out to really interesting. Although that's not always a given these days...

spanner wrote:

Pat: so who is missing in your family?

Thai person: my brothers, sisters and parents

Pat: And you probably wont see them again.

Unfortunately I saw that programme. He was so rigid, unemphatising, depressing and negative that it was unbearable to watch. Even with his own producer.

Don't know about Gerry Ryan though. Would have made interesting television, that's for sure! Right up the crack!