Dunphy plays down importance of first showdown with Pat Kenny
"It's not a sprint it's a marathon," he said of the much-hyped showdown with RTÉ rival Pat Kenny with whom he goes head-to-head on competing channels. "We will do him [Kenny] over the season. It's a long season with 30 shows. It won't be won or lost on Friday night," he said, adding: "If it bombs, we will still go to Renards and have a jar."
Bookies, however, are tipping Dunphy and TV3 to floor Kenny in the opening weeks of the series but to lose out in the long run when initial curiosity wears off and viewers return to Kenny's familiar Late Late Show format.
Joe Kenny of online betting company, SupremeOdds.com, said: "We have installed The Dunphy Show at 8/11 favourite with The Late Late Show at evens and we think the curiosity factor alone will result in a mass shift to TV3. "After two weeks, the Late Late Show will revert to its number one slot."
Dunphy dismissed suggestions he might be suffering nerves in the final countdown to The Dunphy Show which goes out live from Dublin City University's Helix Theatre at 9pm on Friday, telling Newstalk 106 presenter George Hook yesterday: "I'm fine. But his relaxed manner dissipated in a renewed tirade against former host Gay Byrne, who recently scoffed at the idea of The Dunphy Show presenting a serious challenge a serious challenge.
He claimed Byrne was getting paid handsomely for "sitting on his arse" and should not be putting down people who were trying to give viewers a choice.
"He should not have been saying the things he is saying. He should not have been trying to crush an independent production at birth," he said. He added RTÉ would have to "grow up and live in the real world".
Dunphy refused to divulge the identity of his first guests, citing the need to keep the opposition on their toes, but confirmed Roy Keane would be appearing in the near future.
While he admitted concern at reports that RTÉ had a war chest running to hundreds of thousands of euro to tempt the big names, he said money alone "doesn't buy you brains and personality".
"I do think I'm better [than Kenny] and I want to prove it. There is no point talking the talk if you don't walk the walk."
