01-10-2023, 03:39 PM
(01-10-2023, 08:36 AM)Stooky Bill Wrote: This came up on my YouTube suggestions yesterday and it's quite an extraordinary bit of live TV. It's from The Late Late Show in 1997. They're ending the show with a postal competition to win a car, but when Gay Byrne phones up the (eventual) winner she has some terrible news for him which changes the atmosphere of the studio totally. So well handled by Gay
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It's a real shame that I can't really envision any opportunity in today's TV landscape where this sort of thing can happen anymore. As tragic and upsetting as this was, it was heartwarming to see not just the guests and the audience offering words of comfort and support to her, but for a host like Gay Byrne to find a way to metaphorically put an arm around the poor woman. Nobody seemed to care about how long the show was going to overrun, as everyone's priority was to offer their support to a grieving viewer. As sad as the clip is, it's also really lovely too.