The Late Late Show 03/09/10

Aidric

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

I don't know. I spoke to a couple of guys in the media in London this morning and they say everyone in BBC and Sky are cooing over how well Ryan Tubridy did with Blair. It seems he's made a few people over there sit up and take notice of him. Could be very positive for the Tubridy brand! Sky and BBC News channels have both been running cuts of the interview today.

Really? Can't say I agree. Did you notice how Blair had to repeat himself at times so as to help Tubridy understand what he was trying to say? I'm not sure if he genuinely didn't understand or whether he was playing dumb in the hope of teasing out a populist answer.

The Lovely Muffin

Didn't think it was a good show last night.

WesternNight

Aidric wrote: »

Really? Can't say I agree. Did you notice how Blair had to repeat himself at times so as to help Tubridy understand what he was trying to say? I'm not sure if he genuinely didn't understand or whether he was playing dumb in the hope of teasing out a populist answer.

Oh he understood perfectly. It's like he just can't help himself. Just like with Dawkins, he tried to vilify Blair. He tried to make Dawkins look like a complete lunatic, and he tried to make Blair look incompetent and war-hungry

I thought Blair handled Ryan very well considering how frustrated he must have been. He managed to get a few full answers out despite Ryan's best efforts to cut him off.

JonathanAnon

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I hope somebody in the audience throws their shoe at Blair

I hope you're happy. Just heard the RTE News.... talking about Tony Blair entering eason's earlier today. "Numerous objects, including shoes, were thrown at Mr Blair as he entered the premises".. lol

I hope Boyd Barrett and his crowd of left wing vigilantes are take to account for causing this public disturbance..

JerryHandbag

Never thought I'd say it but bring back The Plank!!

I wanted to punch Tubridy in the face last night. Yeah by all means ask the probing questions but the way he kept butting in.....loves the sound of his own voice I imagine.

Bard

Aidric wrote: »

Really? Can't say I agree. Did you notice how Blair had to repeat himself at times so as to help Tubridy understand what he was trying to say? I'm not sure if he genuinely didn't understand or whether he was playing dumb in the hope of teasing out a populist answer.

WesternNight wrote:

Oh he understood perfectly. It's like he just can't help himself. Just like with Dawkins, he tried to vilify Blair. He tried to make Dawkins look like a complete lunatic, and he tried to make Blair look incompetent and war-hungry

I thought Blair handled Ryan very well considering how frustrated he must have been. He managed to get a few full answers out despite Ryan's best efforts to cut him off.

Have to say, I agree with both of you. Blair did his best to help Tubridy understand what he was trying to say - as, the way Tubridy asked and re-asked the questions, it certainly appeared (to Blair at least) that he didn't understand the answers.

I thought Tubridy was rude to Blair overall and was looking, in a way, to do a 'Paxman' on him... a bad idea, it appeared, as Blair is well versed in responding to interviewers and has dealt with much tougher questions from much tougher people than Ryan Tubridy.

Blair certainly came out on top and seemed the far more intelligent, articulate and experienced professional there, a result which was disappointing.

As a lot of people commented on Twitter last night, "this is the Late Late, not Newsnight/Prime Time".

Lenny Lovett

Bard wrote: »

Blair certainly came out on top and seemed the far more intelligent, articulate and experienced professional there, a result which was disappointing.

Did you really expect it to be different? Surely you didn't expect Blair to come across as stupid. He's been accused of lots over the years but his intellect has never (afaik) been in question. I thought Tubbs did really well against a man who has been grilled by the best in the world at their job. Tubbs was caught in that he had to make it an entertainment led interview as it's not a politics show but had to try and get the hard, serious questions in too.

Bard wrote: »

As a lot of people commented on Twitter last night, "this is the Late Late, not Newsnight/Prime Time".

Exactly. And as I said he (Ryan Tubridy) had to cover it from a chat show style angle rather than a politics show but had to get in the few pertinent questions too.

Yillan

Would asking hard questions of Blair not have been entertaining? Watching Blair have to think of answers on the spot to difficult questions he wasn't expecting wouldn't have appealed to the viewers, would it not? Because we all just wanted to shriek loudly at Jedward running around the studio.

"I didn't come to the Late Late Show to think...."

WesternNight

Yillan wrote: »

Would asking hard questions of Blair not have been entertaining? Watching Blair have to think of answers on the spot to difficult questions he wasn't expecting wouldn't have appealed to the viewers, would it not? Because we all just wanted to shriek loudly at Jedward running around the studio.

"I didn't come to the Late Late Show to think...."

Some original questions would have been a nice change, I'm sure.

JonathanAnon

Pretty_Pistol wrote: »

Was that Socky singing with Imelda May? :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxj5wlXY9No

No Socky on the official video. The Den said he was contracted to them and wouldnt agree to allowing him sing on it.

mrsdewinter

Aidric wrote: »

Tubridy took one cheap shot, which I'm sure was intended tongue in cheek but came off as a rolleyes moment. It was when Blair said something along the lines of he was the first PM in 130 odd years to have kids at 10 Downing St, 'which makes you wonder what all the other PM's were doing'. The response from Tubridy was 'working, probably' followed by sticking his tongue out.

Gah! You've just described one of his worst "quirks" - the really lazy comeback, and the insistence on having the last word, even if it's completely witless and makes no sense.
You're not heckling from the audience of the L&H now, Ryan - it's 2010, you're nearly 40... isn't it time you moved on?

Wheresmyparade

I though Ryan came across like a bit of a tosser in the second half of the interview. Tony Blair made decisions right or wrong, and was explaining the reasoning behind them but Ryan really wasnt listening. Blair seems to have really aged; looks a lot older than his years...

Pretty_Pistol

JonathanAnon wrote: »

No Socky on the official video. The Den said he was contracted to them and wouldnt agree to allowing him sing on it.

Thank god! I wonder how he ended up singing on it at all. Did they forget the backing vocalist and just run into the RTE canteen and grab the first person they saw.

Wheresmyparade wrote: »

I though Ryan came across like a bit of a tosser in the second half of the interview. Tony Blair made decisions right or wrong, and was explaining the reasoning behind them but Ryan really wasnt listening. Blair seems to have really aged; looks a lot older than his years...

I thought he looked quite aged too even a bit ill looking.

eimearcmh

I know a lot of the comments in this thread are about Blair but did anyone see Donnacha O Callaghan? He came accross really well i thought. He got in the few digs at Tommy Bowe too.

Tristram

Is Tubridy deaf? ****ing useless interviewer. Blair should have put him over his knee and given him a spanking.

Laois_Man

Wheresmyparade wrote:

Tony Blair made decisions right or wrong, and was explaining the reasoning behind them

Well no actually. Blair was bull****ting and giving the standard excuses for going into Iraq. The issue is, Tubridy was so nieve as to think he could trip him up on things that far far cleverer people than him have tried to do countless times over the last 8 years and failed on.

I hear Blair did a recorded interview with Matt Cooper yesterday too. It will be played on tomorrow's Last Word programme on Today FM. It'll be interesting to draw a comparison between the 2 interviews. Of course, if Cooper did look like an ass in any part of it, the interview isn't live and it's easily edited out. But still.....

Greentopia

Laois_Man wrote: »

Well no actually. Blair was bull****ting and giving the standard excuses for going into Iraq. The issue is, Tubridy was so nieve as to think he could trip him up on things that far far cleverer people than him have tried to do countless times over the last 8 years and failed on.

True though I actually think Blair really believes in a lot of what he says and that's why he comes across as sincere and persuasive in interviews (whether one agrees with him or not).
Tubs is simply not up to the job of interviewing heavy weights like Blair.
He doesn't have the debating skills or intellect to formulate the kind of tough incisive questions and rebuttals necessary to score points against a seasoned pro like Blair.
Every question he asked I've heard a million times before (except the drinking question lol!) so of course Blair was easily able to trot out the same answers he's given countless times before in many other interviews.

I don't agree with what someone earlier in the thread said about Blair having a very high intellect and being highly intelligent though.
Yeah he's smart and articulate no doubt but I've read that Cherie is actually the more intelligent of the pair-top of the class in law school, barrister and member of the QC etc., though I find her money loving and principal-free self every bit as repugnant and odious as her husband.

Laois_Man wrote: »

I hear Blair did a recorded interview with Matt Cooper yesterday too. It will be played on tomorrow's Last Word programme on Today FM.

Good. Will tune in to that so. I like Matt Cooper, he's one of the few people here who might be able to make Blair squirm a bit, or at least ask him a few questions we haven't heard before.

Ash.J.Williams

how can you all sleep at night with the blood on your hands and tears in your eyes...and the blood and the tears...and the sleep.........

Were you smitten by her Tony
Were you smitten by her Tony
Were you smitten by her Tony
Were you smitten by her Tony
Were you smitten by her Tony
Were you smitten by her Tony
Were you smitten by her Tony

Tony: er no Ryan....what the f** sort of a question is that.........

Mental Mickey

Wheresmyparade wrote: »

I though Ryan came across like a bit of a tosser in the second half of the interview. Tony Blair made decisions right or wrong, and was explaining the reasoning behind them but Ryan really wasnt listening. Blair seems to have really aged; looks a lot older than his years...

He's a tosser, full stop.

BlaasForRafa

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

I don't know. I spoke to a couple of guys in the media in London this morning and they say everyone in BBC and Sky are cooing over how well Ryan Tubridy did with Blair. It seems he's made a few people over there sit up and take notice of him. Could be very positive for the Tubridy brand! Sky and BBC News channels have both been running cuts of the interview today.

I guess it just goes to show how low the standards of interviewing have gone these days and how low the expectations of the likes of the bbc are now.

Robert McGrath

I think everybody is criticising the wrong failing.

Anybody can ask tough/original questions. Tubridy could do that to an empty chair.

A good interview depends on interesting/fresh/original answers not questions. Those answers could have been on Blair's personal life, his religion, his decision making process, the war, his drinking - anything. The interview did not have to be a hard hitting current affairs interview to be interesting. Unfortunately it failed as a human interest/personal interview as well.

Tubridy failed to elicit any answers from Blair that we hadn't heard before.

That is why this was a poor interview.

sparkling sea

Its a pity Ryan couldn't have shown the same degree of inquistiveness when he interviewed both the past and present Taoisigh, thats something that would have warmed the cockles of my heart.