EXCLUSIVE |
In these edited extracts from his new book ‘RTÉ: Saints, Scholars and Scandals’, Shane Ross details the fallout from the DG’s departure, Ryan Tubridy’s deep involvement in student politics, and Gay Byrne’s bond with Charles Haughey
Former RTÉ director general Dee Forbes
To some, Dee Forbes is the villain — the wicked woman who is the cause of all RTÉ’s ills. To others, she is the leading scapegoat. The former director general’s silence since her humiliating resignation after the Tubridy scandal broke in June 2023 has infuriated the innocent and emboldened the guilty. No doubt many players on the RTÉ stage, fearful that the entire truth could emerge, are hoping the 57-year-old never forsakes her isolation to fill in the gaps.
Sceptics have scoffed at Forbes’s protestations of ill-health. The dwindling band of more charitable commentators, wishing to recognise the veracity of her sickness, believe that the merciless pressure on her for more than three years has taken a mental and physical toll that few people could withstand.