RADIO REVIEW:ALL Ronan Collins(RTÉ Radio One, weekdays) wants to do is play a few cheerful ditties for an hour or so before the One O'Clock News. In the run-up to Christmas his programme provides a welcome distraction and a sprinkling of seasonal cheer, but his happy exterior must be quietly cracking with the ungrateful and curmudgeonly reaction he gets from listeners. All they seem to do these days is moan about his musical choices.
He played Nat King Cole's version of O Holy Nightand got a text giving out about the singer's range. "He did it his way and he wasn't a great man for stretching himself," Collins said. "But it's a little late to criticise Nat's singing." (Cole died in 1965.) Another listener said that last year Collins gave the wrong name for the writer of O Holy Night. Collins gave the same answer he gave last year – Adolphe Adam – and waited for the backlash. He then played Dr Elmo's anti-classic Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. A listener wrote to say: "That's an awful song!" When he played Frank Kelly's satirical Christmas Countdownanother malcontent wrote, "I just switched off!" Some folk don't want cheering. Let them sit in silence so they can be alone with their thoughts, or get worked up by angry talk radio. The rest of us will tap along in our Marigolds and blow Fairy Liquid bubbles in the air.
Joe Duffy hosted a humdinger of a row over stag hunting on Tuesday's Liveline(RTÉ Radio One). Duffy was all over the issue after a stag being pursued by the Ward Union Hunt ran out onto a road, was hit by a car and was later put down. The programme soon let rip into a chippy debate that was less about rural tradition and more about Irishmen who want to be like English toffs.
“They want their children to marry into this social scene,” one caller said. Some galloped further from the original point of public safety and cruelty to animals. One angry man said, “The first idiot who comes into my garden will get a golf club wrapped around his head.” He was told that was unlikely to happen. “The first stag that jumps into my garden then!” he added. Either way, the animal gets it.
The delightful Sir Terry Wogan of Wake Up To Wogan(BBC Radio 2, weekdays) hung up his earphones yesterday after five decades on radio. The affable Irishman abroad, inducted into the British Radio Academy Hall Of Fame last week, is reportedly a favourite of the queen and he consistently topped ratings by appearing middle-of-the-road, unsentimental, occasionally befuddled and devoid of ego. It takes a heavy-hitting talent to do light so well.
On Wednesday, he received good wishes from a listener called “Aunty Histamine” and a retirement cake from the National Association of Master Bakers. But one listener wasn’t happy with Wogan playing pop: “Are you working your way through the entire pop industry? Roll on the Valentine’s Day Massacre.” (He returns on Valentine’s Day with a Sunday live music show.) Wogan did a funny Dalek voice, chuckled and played some more.
“Romp translates into roll out my pension,” Wogan mused later. “We’re going to leave you with a smile.” Chris Evans takes over the slot. I don’t envy him filling Wogan’s shoes, but after doing early mornings for so many years, the 71-year-old broadcaster deserves a lie-in. Heaven knows where he’d be had he stayed in Ireland. I suspect he would have been patronised, neglected and given his marching papers years ago, rather than regarded as the national treasure he is now.
The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show(Today FM, weekdays) also tried bringing joy to listeners on Monday with Mario Rosenstock's Gift Grub version of Daniel O'Donnell singing Rockin' Around the Christmas Treewith the real Mary Coughlan – the singer, not the Tánaiste. "Pull an aul' cracker with me Mary!" the fake O'Donnell said. "Deck your balls with bits of holly!" Coughlan sang. It was hard to know if she was real or Gift Grub version, which is actually no bad thing.
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