Tubridy enjoyed ‘bonkers’ Eurovision spat on ‘Late Late’

The Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy has revealed he enjoyed the “bonkers” Eurovision row on his show. The RTÉ star yesterday told his radio show listeners that he knew there was a “stormer brewing” due to tensions between mentors and judges before the show aired.

Louis Walsh came under harsh criticism from mentor and Aslan guitarist Billy McGuinness for being on the Eurovision panel on The Late Late Show when he had links to two of the acts.

But Tubridy said he was caught off guard when former Eurovision winner Linda Martin stepped off her seat and walked down to the audience to confront Mr McGuinness in the audience calling him an “odious little man”.

And he said he feared the situation was going to be a lot uglier as he watched the row unfold live on air.

“What really no one could have seen coming was Linda standing up and making her way across the floor. It was almost a surreal viewing experience and then you realise you present the show, ‘get up’. I went in to keep the peace because it was extremely tense and very real. Honestly it could have been a lot uglier but the situation calmed down.

“I didn’t sign up to be a referee, a mediator certainly, but not a referee.”

But he said he enjoyed the madness of the situation which had viewers glued to their screens.

“As TV goes did I enjoy it? Yeah I did. I thought it was bonkers television and I like a bit bonkers TV. It was like driving a car with no brakes going down a hill. I quite like that. It’s live.

“You won’t get that kind of show on other stations because they will edit it all off and that’s what makes The Late Late Show a little bit special.”

The row stemmed from criticism by McGuinness of Walsh’s inclusion on the show’s Eurovision panel as he had links to former X Factor contestant Eoghan Quigg and the winner, Kasey Smith, whom he formerly managed in girl group Wonderland, leading his close friend Martin to jump to his defence.

McGuinness, who was mentoring Laura O’Neill, had initially voiced criticism of Walsh on Tubridy last Friday. Tubridy said he felt there was going to be a row after gauging the tensions backstage before the show.