Rip-Off Republic
Encyclopedia
Rip-Off Republic was an RTÉ
television show
highlighting the cost of living and working in Ireland
. It was presented by Eddie Hobbs
and was broadcast on Mondays at 21:30 on RTÉ One
during late August and early September 2005. The series was a phenomenon that attracted the largest TV audience in Ireland for a factual series - other than sports events. The carryover from Hobbs satire rocked the Fianna Fáil
/ PD
Government at the height of the Celtic Tiger as Hobbs polemic demonstrated how development land costs had permeated through nearly every cost of living. Hobbs prophetically said that "development land is the only game in town" and that the Irish economy was "eating its young".
The show was filmed in front of a live audience at The Helix
in Dublin City University
. It was presented in the format of a stand-up monologue by Eddie Hobbs, with occasional inserts filmed on location. According to RTÉ, the programme attracted record viewing figures, with 667,000 people (51% audience share) watching the second programme in the series. The series peaked at just under one million viewers.
political party, and a current member of the RTÉ Authority, made a complaint to RTÉ management, alleging that the programme was biased and lacked balance. In addition, various Fianna Fáil
backbenchers were also known to be unhappy with the programme; TD
for Westmeath, Donnie Cassidy, threatened to call Hobbs and RTÉ management before a committee to explain their behaviour. The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern referred to Hobbs as a "non-factual person" and called for each a fact check on each programme to be reviewed in detail by various Government departments. Hobbs however had used Government sources and agencies hence the Government review came to nought although pressure was brought to bear on RTE.
On 6 September 2005, Hobbs told the Last Word programme on Today FM
that he was pulling out of a planned appearance on The Late Late Show
on RTÉ the following Friday, after RTÉ promoted the appearance prior to the final Rip-Off Republic programme. He later appeared on several other RTE discussion programmes including Questions & Answers, the Marion Finucane Show and Tubridy Tonight.
It was reported in several national newspapers that RTÉ sources described the programme as a "once-off" and not likely to return.
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
television show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
highlighting the cost of living and working in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It was presented by Eddie Hobbs
Eddie Hobbs
-Early career:Hobbs worked for Zurich Life 1979 to 1991 and left his position as Marketing Manager to set up a fee-based financial planning company TIPS. In March 1993 Hobbs published a landmark report "Endowment Mortgages The Hometruth" which collapsed sales of endowment homeloans in Ireland by...
and was broadcast on Mondays at 21:30 on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
during late August and early September 2005. The series was a phenomenon that attracted the largest TV audience in Ireland for a factual series - other than sports events. The carryover from Hobbs satire rocked the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
/ PD
Progressive Democrats
The Progressive Democrats , commonly known as the PDs, was a pro-free market liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on...
Government at the height of the Celtic Tiger as Hobbs polemic demonstrated how development land costs had permeated through nearly every cost of living. Hobbs prophetically said that "development land is the only game in town" and that the Irish economy was "eating its young".
The show was filmed in front of a live audience at The Helix
The Helix
The Helix is a building on the Dublin City University campus between Glasnevinand Whitehall on Dublin's Northside, originally planned to be called the Aula Maxima. It was completed in 2002, and it is described as a "performance space" and holds concerts, university conferring ceremonies and...
in Dublin City University
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
. It was presented in the format of a stand-up monologue by Eddie Hobbs, with occasional inserts filmed on location. According to RTÉ, the programme attracted record viewing figures, with 667,000 people (51% audience share) watching the second programme in the series. The series peaked at just under one million viewers.
Episodes
Four programmes were aired in the series, each targeting a different area of the Irish economy:- Groceries
- Alcohol
- Transport
- Taxation
Reaction
In August 2005, Stephen O'Byrnes, a former official of the Progressive DemocratsProgressive Democrats
The Progressive Democrats , commonly known as the PDs, was a pro-free market liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on...
political party, and a current member of the RTÉ Authority, made a complaint to RTÉ management, alleging that the programme was biased and lacked balance. In addition, various Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
backbenchers were also known to be unhappy with the programme; TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
for Westmeath, Donnie Cassidy, threatened to call Hobbs and RTÉ management before a committee to explain their behaviour. The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern referred to Hobbs as a "non-factual person" and called for each a fact check on each programme to be reviewed in detail by various Government departments. Hobbs however had used Government sources and agencies hence the Government review came to nought although pressure was brought to bear on RTE.
On 6 September 2005, Hobbs told the Last Word programme on Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
that he was pulling out of a planned appearance on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
on RTÉ the following Friday, after RTÉ promoted the appearance prior to the final Rip-Off Republic programme. He later appeared on several other RTE discussion programmes including Questions & Answers, the Marion Finucane Show and Tubridy Tonight.
It was reported in several national newspapers that RTÉ sources described the programme as a "once-off" and not likely to return.