Can Ryan Tubridy succeed on UK radio?

Former RTE broadcaster Ryan Tubridy kicked off his new job, presenting Virgin Radio UK’s midmorning show, on Tuesday.

The London-based commercial radio station is very different from the national broadcaster and this new iteration of The Ryan Tubridy show, where he is more DJ than chat show presenter, is different from his former slot on RTÉ Radio 1; at three hours it’s certainly longer.

He was let go from RTÉ in June amid the payments controversy that in 2023 engulfed the broadcaster and in which he was centrally involved.

On the new show there is more music and less talk, but as Irish Times radio reviewer Mick Heaney notes on today’s In the News podcast, Tubridy has brought his familiar-to-Irish ears obsessions with him across the water.

But will English listeners find references to the Beatles, walks, books, Connemara and pint of Guinness quite so charming? Can he do a Terry Wogan and become a beloved Irish broadcaster in the UK - or are those days over?

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

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