Ryan Confidential

Gerry Ryan returned for another series of revealing and intimate heart to hearts with top Irish and international celebrities. In the first of the new series Gerry interviews entrepreneur Bill Cullen about his journey from rags to riches, his remarkable work ethic and his long term romance with partner Jackie Lavin.

Episodes

Programme 1

The current batch of Ryan Confidential kicks off with a revealing interview with Bill Cullen. He is known as one of this country's most successful entrepreneurs; as a best-selling author; and, most recently, as the straight-talking businessman who fronts the hit series, The Apprentice.

Bill grew up in the poverty of Ireland in the 1940s. He lived with his parents and 13 siblings in a run-down tenement block in Dublin's inner city. His mother sold fruit, and his father was a dock labourer.

Bill tells Gerry about his remarkable journey from rags to riches. He explains why he was expelled from secondary school, and why he was compelled to use a false address to obtain his first job. He also talks candidly about his long-term romance with his glamorous partner, Jackie Lavin, and reveals why they have never gotten married. Finally, he offers his own remedy for Ireland's current economic malaise.

Programme 2

Gerry Ryan talks to Heather Mills about the road accident which changed the course of her life, her marriage and subsequent divorce to Paul McCartney and what the future holds for her.

Programme 3: Ryan Confidential Special

Last year, Gerry Ryan recorded a special edition of "Ryan Confidential". What made this programme so different from the other 60 editions of the series was that Gerry was the subject of the interview. The guest interviewer was Ryan Tubridy, and, for once, the tables were turned, and Gerry was under the spotlight. The days that have passed since Gerry's sudden death have confounded the cynics, and revealed the true depth of the respect and affection in which he was held by the Irish people. Many people have stepped forward to explain the extraordinary impact of his broadcasting career, but this - the last edition of "Ryan Confidential" - draws upon the words of Gerry himself. Making use of material that did not feature in the first broadcast and archive that has not previously been seen on television, Ryan Tubridy returns to his original interview - to paint a candid and moving picture of a man who can truly claim to have been irreplaceable.

Programme 4

In the last recorded interview before his untimely death Gerry Ryan talked to George Hook about his years as a failed businessman, his relatively late start in broadcasting and how he feels life gave him a second chance.