Yesterday, one of the great travesties of modern television culture in Ireland took place, as it does every Saturday; The Ray D'Arcy Show. Last night's episode of the show - essentially the asthmatic and allergy-addled younger cousin of The Late Late Show - however was different. Far more media attention had been devoted to the build-up to its airing due to one important point, one key fact which differentiated last night's show from the other episodes in the shows run; last night's episode, featured an actually internationally recognised celebrity.
Cause for celebration you may think? Well, perhaps. Unfortunately though the celebrity in question was Ivana Trump, so unless your idea of 'celebration' involves openly weeping and vomiting in disgust on your own lap, then probably not.
The interview for the most part was a relatively drab affair, given that Ray D'Arcy's presenting style and indeed general mannerisms, are entirely reminiscent of a lonely, rural uncle who is just happy that someone's dropped round to visit him.
However, it was not the chat with Ivana Trump that stole the show. No, some other cavalier daredevil was the true star, eclipsing Ivana and her slightly deranged anecdotes about how she met the president of the United States and alleged sex criminal, Donald Trump. It was a simple man; a humble audience member who stood firmly in the limelight in last night's show.
During one segment where Ray D'Arcy sort of meandered through the crowd trying to chat to anyone who'd give him the time of day - like a confused old man at a bus stop - an audience member could be seen in the background jumping at his opportunity of being in frame. In the brief clip, captured and brought to the worlds attention by Twitter user 'Adam', the man springs to action and, in a clearly rehearsed move, throws out a hand-gesture so beautifully ornate and elaborate it borders on art for managing to simultaneously combine so many disparate hand-gestures into one fluid motion. It was part 'Spiderman web throw', part 'rocker devil horns' and part 'that weird game you played as a kid where you made a hoop with your fingers and pummelled whatever foolish soul was insolent enough to stare at it'.
Not all heroes wear capes#RayDarcyShow pic.twitter.com/5R2MhXrmrm
— Adam (@ItsA1Adam) November 18, 2017
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He is then clearly so chuffed with himself that he, either, gives himself a congratulatory scratch on the cheek - like how a cat would - or continues his run of astoundingly inventive gang-signs and performs the world's tiniest dab.
Such is the entertainment value of the Ray D'Arcy show, that it is qualitatively surpassed by a brief clip of a man performing a rudimentary hand movement. Food for thought RTÉ.
