Saturday with Ryan Tubridy: My interest in politics was never called for in previous roles, now it is

Ryan Tubridy: People tell me I’m working through sniper’s alley at my age so I am keeping an eye on myself now in a way that previous generations of Tubridys probably didn’t.

07.00

I’ll get up at around 7am, eat a banana and take a coffee back to bed where I’ll read for an hour or so.

08.00

I’ll go for a run down to Dún Laoghaire pier. It depends on the day whether I’m quicksand or gazelle. Operation Transformation asked me to do a Couch to 5k a couple of years ago and I was very nervous because I didn’t even own a pair of runners. I bought the gear and went for a run and haven’t stopped running since. I’ve definitely changed my lifestyle to suit my age and the amount of travel I do, so I don’t drink as much as I used to or eat as much rubbish as I used to, and I run between 5km and 7km a day. People tell me I’m working through sniper’s alley at my age, so I am keeping an eye on myself now in a way that previous generations of Tubridys probably didn’t.

09.00

I’ll stop off at the Roots food truck in Monkstown. They make the best acai bowl I’ve found and there’s always a nice vibe around their truck. I might go for a walk up Killiney Hill where I’ll collect some fallen sticks for the fire. Myself and my wife Clare will discuss the possibility of getting the dog that she has already named. Quietly, I’d love a Red Setter but the house is too small and I travel a lot… maybe someday!

Ryan Tubridy and his wife Dr Clare Kambamettu pictured at Noel and Liz's Chornobyl Lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy

11.00

I’ll buy The Times newspaper. I’ve become London-centric in my reading and listening habits. I have to be utterly on top of UK and world politics in my role on Times Radio from 1pm to 4pm on Sundays. I’ve always had a great interest in politics but it was never called for in previous roles, and now it is. While I knew a lot, I have had to put the head down on it, but that’s no issue because I love history and politics. The station and the paper are quite symbiotic so I see the paper as a research tool. Myself and Clare will have coffee, divide the paper between us, and discuss the various stories.

15.30

At this stage, I’ll be making my way to the airport. I’ll have been at home for the previous three or four days and will have caught up with family and probably had lunch with my daughter. I’ve one daughter in Dublin and one in London so it’s the best of both worlds. They’re amazing and they are constantly teaching me — they’ll tell me not to say ‘rizz’, not to say ‘ick’, not to say ‘cool’, not to play certain things too loudly — they say it with love — it’s from a good place.

I always fly Aer Lingus — they’re just a different class. When I’m in London, I stay in the home of a very dear friend of mine in Parsons Green. I might meet my daughter or a pal or go to the cinema. We probably go to The Devonshire way too much but I’m a creature of habit.

My daughter lives in the East End so we might meet up in Dalston or Hoxton where she’ll show me the hotspots.

If I’m going to the theatre I prefer to go to a matinee — I loved Giant in which John Lithgow plays Roald Dahl and I loved The Weir with Tom Vaughan Lawlor and Brendan Gleeson. I recently went to see The Producers which cracked me up.

I might go to Leicester Square to the cinema — I enjoyed Sinners, I liked Peaky Blinders — I’m a fan of the series and always love to see Cillian and Barry on the big screen. I usually take it very easy on a Saturday evening so the excitement in my life usually happens on a Sunday evening when I might go to the Devonshire for a pint and a bit of trad music and I love Gerry’s Club in Soho. 

On his podcast The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy, the broadcaster, author, and book lover sits down with household names to discover the books that have influenced their lives.

I’m really excited about going for a few pints in cities such as Galway and Cork when I’m doing The Bookshelf Live tour. But London is buzzing – and I’m often stopped by Irish people there which I love.

21.30

On a work night, I’m in bed by 9.30pm as I’m an early bird. I’ll listen to the news and make sure that nothing has exploded over the course of the evening though the producer and researcher of my radio show will also keep me well informed — especially on Sunday morning. I’ll read before I go to bed — The Lies Between Us by Jennifer Bray, Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, and The Visit by Cork author Neil Tully are currently on my bedside table.

• On his podcast The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy, the broadcaster, author, and book lover sits down with household names to discover the books that have influenced their lives.
• The Bookshelf Live event invites audiences to an interactive evening of stories, craic, conversation. See The Bookshelf Live at the Cork Opera House on April 30, at Limerick’s Lime Tree Theatre on May 7, and at The Olympia Theatre, Dublin, on June 8.