Gay Byrne to tell tribunal how he turned down £1m

The longest-running show in town, the Flood tribunal, gets a new star turn tomorrow when Gay Byrne makes what is expected to be a brief but colourful appearance.

The "housewife's favourite", who will shortly host the Irish version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? will tell Mr Justice Flood how he turned down £1 million which was offered to him by the promoters of Century Radio in 1989.

Under questioning by tribunal lawyers who, like Mr Byrne, have learned that the quickest way to a million is to ask the questions rather than answer them, Mr Byrne will explain his relationship with Century and its cofounder, Mr Oliver Barry.

Mr Byrne's involvement in the Century debacle is slight - he opted against jumping ship from RTE even before the new station started. A short appearance is predicted - though not quite as short as the 15 questions contestants will get through on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Mr Justice Flood is unlikely to tolerate the multiple-choice questions allowed on the game-show, let alone "asking the audience". But he may just allow Mr Byrne to avail of the option of "phoning a friend" or, more precisely, a senior counsel.

The £1 million offer was made by Century's co-founder, Mr Oliver Barry, who paid a visit to Mr Byrne's home in Howth just before Christmas 1989. For months, Mr Barry had been trying to lure Ireland's most famous voice away from RTE to work with the new commercial station. Now it was time for his final bid. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a cheque for £1 million, which he placed on the table.

Mr Byrne said he would think about the offer but reportedly added: "take that thing with you. I couldn't sleep with it in the house". Shortly afterwards, he told Mr Barry he was staying with RTE.

After a few quiet weeks at the tribunal - the last witness was an expert in "wideband curtain dipole arrays" and a member of the Worshipful Society of Scientific Instrument-makers - Mr Byrne's appearance promises to be a lively one.

He has told tribunal lawyers that he was promised Century would be "a licence to print money". The station would produce so much money "you would have to get wheelbarrows to carry it around".

When this was put to Century's other co-founder, Mr James Stafford, he replied: "If you have Gay Byrne, you have a licence to print money".