Murphy criticises RTÉ arts coverage

RTÉ personality Mike Murphy has hit out at the station’s “Cromwellian” approach to the arts after claiming his new show’s late-night spot means he has been “banished into the Connacht of broadcasting”.

In a public rebuke of his employer, the veteran star said he was appalled at the scheduling of his new programme Masterpiece: Ireland’s Favourite Painting.

In a letter to a national newspaper, Mr Murphy, who recently returned to work after losing a fortune in the property bust, said the station passed up a “golden opportunity” by turning a potential 10-part cultural series into “a single show”.