TUBRIDY: new show

Ryan Tubridy kicked off his new Radio One career with The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun.

Ryan Tubridy kicked off his new Radio One career with The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun.

Maybe it was just a short-term weather forecast - there's rain expected from the west later today - but it sounded like a mission statement, too.

Promising to be a bright interval between the overcast current affairs programmes on either side of it, The Tubridy Show began with a summery feel, basking in the warm weather and the weekend's U2 concerts.

Reviewing the latter, guest Gavin Friday insulted both the new presenter and his predecessor when he wished Tubridy "good luck with the knitting, now that you're in Marian's seat". But the former 2FM star was making no attempt to emulate Marian Finucane, knitting or otherwise.

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"We're starting from scratch - new presenter, new style," he said afterwards, admitting that nervousness about the show ensured his eyes "sprang open" at 4.30am yesterday.

The latest phase of his career is "very different to anything I've done before, and I've had a lot of training for it". But he now has "quite an unforgiving audience, who expect the highest standard of broadcasting because they're used to getting it".

More mature Radio One listeners need not fear anything too revolutionary from a 32-year-old who admits openly to being an Andy Williams fan.

Tubridy wants to get more text messages, a medium he believes the station has underexploited. But he also wants to encourage a revival in old-fashioned letter-writing, in an audience-driven format.

Frank McNally

Frank McNally

Frank McNally is an Irish Times journalist and chief writer of An Irish Diary