Shame you used that cropped photo because I had a caption for it all lined up, what with a man carrying his bag for him in the door on Montrose. Pay says: “I thought that judge put you away?”

Did you hear Sean O’Rourke going through these details in full to show he was no longer in the top echelons – not quite explicitly talking about himself but the forensics of outlining everyone elses salary were hilarious!

The point on John Kelly is an interesting one and I fully agree with you on The View Shane (I watched Joe Duffy pontificating on Rushdie one night a couple of years back and wanted to declare a fatwa on my living room). Kelly’s talent could be put to better use but I’d also be curious to see the type of deals people like Derek Davis are on. There are stand-in presenters all over the shop in there who are drafted in for holidays – are these guys on contract? Knowing RTE I’d imagine they probably are. Marty Whelan is another example. I get the impression his decision to shed the hair dye was made on the recommendation of his agent and the Montrose marvels have spent years trying to justify the negotiating calamity that followed.

Re. 5

Sean, a lot of guys like Derek Davis are throwbacks to the long-term contracts at RTE. They are permanent and pensionable – there were a load of ‘em floating about after RTE cork was axed and they drift around the schedule producing here, presenting there, maybe making a little hobby documentary or doing coaching. Drifting along…