INTO THE RYAN'S DEN

Ex-Late Late Show host to face 6hr Oireachtas grillings | New boss refuses to say if Tubridy will be back on air

- FERGHAL BLANEY

RYAN Tubridy will be fighting to save his broadcasting career at two box office committee meetings in Leinster House today.

The highest-paid star in RTE is set to face a double grilling over the secret payments scandal he is at the heart of.

The 50-year-old will appear at two sessions that are expected to last more than six hours in total.

And he goes in there without the backing of new RTE chief Kevin Bakhurst, who on his first day in the job would not guarantee Mr Tubridy will be returning to the air.

The nation will be transfixed with the RTE News channel and Oireachtas TV both showing the proceedings live, which will enable almost any home in the country to tune in.

It can also be watched on the Oireachtas official website, or via the app on smartphones or tablets.

And pubs are even opening especially to show the proceedings in a move normally saved for early morning sports events.

Some of the pubs in Dublin set to throw the doors open will include Toners on Baggot Street, the Camden Deluxe on Camden Street, Clonliffe House near another past scene of box office sports events, Croke Park, and the  famous McGrattans bar, which is the nearest bar to the Dail, lying in the shadows of Leinster House on Fitzwilliam Lane.

The first of the two committee sessions set to grill Tubridy and his agent, Noel Kelly, is the high-powered Government spending watchdog committee, the Public Accounts Committee.

This kicks off at 10.30am with a quick private session before the two star witnesses, and their lawyer Hayes Solicitors Managing Partner Joe O'Malley, are expected to be called into Committee Room One shortly before llam.

This is expected to last three hours, giving Mr Tubridy a short break before he is due up for another session at the Media Committee, due to kick off at 3pm.