There was something vaguely underwhelming about RTE's new-season launch party on Thursday. Too many big names on holidays, basically. No Gay Byrne - returning with a show of comedy clips entitled Make 'em Laugh - for starters; he is still holed up at his Donegal hideaway, apparently, and understandably not disposed towards exchanging niceties with a roomful of journos for the nth year in succession.
Gay's spiritual heir and Late Late Show successor, Pat Kenny, was just as eager to make himself scarce. Obligatory launch dinner complete, Pat was off to a business meeting in double quick time. Assembled hacks gave chase but to little avail. There was speculation that our quarry was hiding in the toilets, but dessert loomed and that was that.
Rather more forthcoming was Late Late executive producer, Noel Curran who hinted that several "big name" Irish composers were slugging it out for the right to put together the show's new signature tune. No firm details, though - we'll just have to wait and see. Noel is also overseeing RTE's millennium broadcast - again he was keeping mum over who's going to anchor the programme, but was happy to reveal that actors Gabriel Byrne and Peter O'Toole and writers Maeve Binchy and Joe O'Connor have been asked to present voiceover monologues to mark the event.
Exchanging golf tips at the sports department table were diminutive national hero turned pundit Ray Houghton, commentator George Hamilton and RTE deputy sports head Niall Cogley. Niall's father, Fred, recently retired, was flittering about. He is, we are assured, thoroughly enjoying life in the slow lane and is working hard at improving his own golf handicap. GAA guru Marty Morrissey, it emerged, has hit upon a novel way to celebrate the millennium - he's getting married on New Year's Day.
In the current affairs heavyweight corner was political bon viveur Fergus Finlay, who revealed that he will be back on air next autumn but with a new (unnamed) individual replacing old sparring partner Frank Dunlop.
Derek Davis was there in a blue outfit, while news pin-up Sharon Ni Bheolain and Sunday Game host Michael Lester wondered aloud whether the party was going to last all night.
Oh, and somebody thought it might be a good idea to plonk Dustin the TV turkey outside television headquarters and set him heckling the assembled media but, what with all the photographers and such milling about, most people didn't realise he was there and thought some irate local was flinging abuse at the besuited masses.