Iconic Irish TV programme the Late Late Show has been slammed by cycling campaigners following an anti-cycling rant during Saturday evening’s transmission.
One guest on this week’s programme, an institution on TV in the Republic of Ireland since it was first broadcast by RTE in 1962, likened cyclists to “farm animals.”
Another compared cyclists to “trash.”
Dublin Cycling Campaign has now lodged an official complaint to regulators over comments of guests Maura Derrane and James Kavanagh in the segment, and against the show’s host, Ryan Tubidry.
Derrane, who also works at RTE, had said: “I like cycling, but one thing that really bothers me is three or four cyclists abreast ... on a country road where there's no need.
"Because I mean, are you in competition with a car? You're never going to be faster, and it's almost to piss people off that they do it. I know that."
In their complaint, Dublin Cycling Campaign said the comments made in the show were in contravention of Principle 5 of the Code of Programme Standards of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, which says “programme material shall not stigmatise, support or condone discrimination or incite hatred against persons or groups in society.”
They added: “We also expect the Late Late Show to broadcast a public apology on its next show and counter the misinformation that it broadcast, specifically about the issue of cycling two abreast which is perfectly legal behaviour on Irish roads.”
Simon has been news editor at road.cc since 2009, reporting on 10 editions and counting of pro cycling’s biggest races such as the Tour de France, stories on issues including infrastructure and campaigning, and interviewing some of the biggest names in cycling. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, his background has proved invaluable in reporting on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, and the bike industry. He splits his time between London and Cambridge, and loves taking his miniature schnauzer Elodie on adventures in the basket of her Elephant Bike.