Former RTÉ chair says Toy Show Musical was “risk worth taking”

The former chair of the RTÉ Board Moya Doherty said that Toy Show the Musical was a “risk worth taking.”

In July, in the wake of the Ryan Tubridy scandal, evidence given to the Oireachtas Committee on Media confirmed the Toy Show The Musical lost €2.2 million, with 11,000 tickets sold for the shows held in the National Convention Centre.

Toy Show The Musical has become synonymous with the dysfunction that has engulfed RTÉ in recent times.

Doherty was speaking at an event to discuss the future of public broadcasting, when she was asked by host Pat Kenny about what she considered her greatest regret.

She replied “I think my biggest regret was the sadness of the events that occurred six months after I left the organisation, they were revealed and I think that was actually quite heartbreaking.”

She said that Toy Show The Musical had been a risk worth taking “and like all risks, some fail and some don’t.”

She stated that talking about RTÉ’s future was “so important”.

“We have been mired in fighting about what happened in the past – it would be a terrible shame, that for the many mistakes that were made within RTÉ, to frame the real reason why public service media exists, and is so important and particularly in our current climate politically, public service media is essential for democracy.”

RTÉ boss Kevin Bakhurst was also in attendance at the event, and said the final touches are being put to the strategic review of RTÉ.

Bakhurst has claimed in recent weeks that RTÉ could run out of money by Spring if it did not receive a Government bailout, which An Taoiseach Leo Vradkar said would not be forthcoming unless RTÉ showed clear signs of reform and accountability.