Toy Show the Musical: How did RTÉ end up wasting €2.2 million on such a risky bet?

€5,000 flip-flops, balloons and concert tickets were among the highlights of RTÉ spending revealed at the Oireachtas media committee this week.

Among the most significant figures was a loss of €2.2 million incurred by the broadcaster’s ill-fated live Christmas offering, Toy Show: The Musical.

The production was dogged by mediocre reviews, poor ticket sales and criticisms from established theatre producers and politicians.

RTÉ had taken a punt on being able to build a brand extension of its most lucrative TV asset, the Late Late Toy Show, and lost.

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But how and why did RTÉ end up wasting millions on such a risky bet?

On today’s In the News podcast Irish Times Arts and Culture editor Hugh Linehan explains what went wrong, why it was always likely the show would be a costly failure, and what the story tells us about where RTÉ is today.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.