Power of Tubridy's agent Noel Kelly, 'the real DG', now under scrutiny

Dee Forbes and her programming team at RTÉ were said to be terrified that Kelly, in an instant, would sweep away any of his stars for greater riches elsewhere.

Agent Noel Kelly pictured at Liz and Noel's Chernobyl Children International Charity lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy

One of the many jobs Kevin Bakhurst will do when he officially starts as director general at RTÉ next Saturday (July 1), will be to end the monopoly of power enjoyed by third-party agents at the network.

Bakhurst has already been assessing from close quarters, the damage to the reputation and future value of the State broadcaster, and the mess left behind by the now-suspended Dee Forbes.