Comedy writer Paul Howard revealed his ticket sales went through the roof when Gay Byrne reviewed his show for the first time.
However, crediting the late presenter, who passed away aged 85 last week, as one of the biggest influencers of his time, he admitted he spent the whole time nervously watching Gaybo’s reactions the first time he saw him in his audience.
The creator and playwright of legendary cult character Ross O’Carroll Kelly told the Irish Daily Mirror: “He [Byrne] came to see one of the Ross [O’Carroll Kelly] plays and it was ‘Between Foxrock and a Hard Place’ and because I grew up in an Ireland where what Gay Byrne thought really really mattered, I spent the entire show staring at him.
“And he was sitting in the front row of the circle and I was sitting kind of on the other side of the circle and I could look and see him and see his reactions and I just watched him for the whole show.
"I watched every joke he laughed at and every joke he didn’t laugh at actually more, that is what I was more interested in, what were the jokes he didn’t laugh at and when we were leaving the theatre, he said to me ‘oh my God young man, your language is appalling’.”
Despite the nerves, Howard, who went on to sell out numerous shows, including Copperface Jacks: The Musical, said it worth it and revealed his audience doubled thanks to Gaybo’s rave review.
“And then he went on Lyric FM that weekend and just raved about the play and those things mattered.
“I remember ticket sales just went through the roof in the three or four days after Gay Byrne said that, and that wasn’t when he was presenting the Late Late Show, that was when he was presenting his Lyric FM show on jazz, which he thought nobody listened to but lots of people did, I certainly did and he was terrific company.
“I know he was brilliant in all he did but he was also a really lovely man as well.
"[The effect] was immediately and this is in the days before influencer meant something. If you got Gay Byrne’s approval about something you were doing it made a huge difference.
“He was hugely influential. He didn’t praise things idly, he didn’t say something was good and then you went along and it wasn’t.
“If he praised something you knew he liked it and I was just so happy he praised our little show because i’m sure that it doubled the audience.”
Howard was speaking ahead of the An Post Irish Book Awards 2019, where shortlisted for two categories with Schmidt Happens – Ross O’Carroll-Kelly and his new kids book ‘Gordan’s Game’.
Speaking of his excitement ahead of the big night, he said he is particularly proud of his new venture with rugby ace Gordan D’Arcy,
He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled, especially about the Gordan’s Game book because it is our first adventure into children’s books and it is a really tricky market, but the book went to number one last week and to be shortlisted as well is just a real thrill and I’m delighted.”
