In 2009 Janice Butler attended a recording of legendary and very late Oprah Winfrey Show
Going to Oprah is everything you could imagine and more. It’s simple astonishing that this woman from a small town in Mississippi can so regularly cause such a stir and influence audiences across the world. Getting a ticket to Oprah, which has been on the air since 1986, is like getting your hands on that elusive golden ticket for Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory or in Irish terms, The Late Late Show.
When we arrived to join the large queue outside Harpo Studios in downtown Chicago, people were passing the time by comparing how far they had travelled or waited to get tickets. Numbers like 12, ten and six were thrown around – not months, years! Apart from wondering about the subject of the show, the other hot topic on everyone’s lips is of course ‘the free stuff’. Oprah is notorious for giving away treats of a grand nature; on one occasion she gave everyone in the audience a Porsche – now that’s the show you want to be at. Otherwise, it’s one of the regular Favourite Things episodes, when she shares products with her audience that she feels are noteworthy or that would make a great gift. Unfortunately, we weren’t that lucky!
Going to an Oprah show recording isn’t as simple as walking onto the set of Winning Streak with your whole family in tow. There are rules and lots of them: no beige, no white, no patterns, no cameras, no phones – the restrictions are as tight as on a Ryanair flight. Once we entered the studio building in orderly fashion, weare met with airport-like security measures: X-ray machines, bag searches and passport inspections.
Once through that process, we file into a large reception room, where TV screens show previous episodes. Blue forms are passed around for us to sign, giving Oprah’s production company permission to use our images, if we are lucky enough to appear on-screen. After what seems like a lifetime, our names are called in a group to enter the studio. As with most studios it is much smaller than it looks on TV. The staff is busily taking down any reminiscences of the early morning live show which featured James Taylor. The large TV screens behind Oprah’s chair now display today’s topic – ‘Oprah’s Most Memorable Guests’. Naturally enough, Tom Cruise is the first person that comes to mind, but this show is not about celebrity but real-life stories that have stood out in Oprah’s mind.
A young, enthusiastic member of the Oprah team takes to the stage and spends almost an hour speaking with the audience to get them warmed up (not that they needed it!). She goes around the room asking people where they are from to discover who has travelled the furthest. Once we mention Ireland, it’s game over. She then randomly chooses three women to take to the stage in a dance-off, which they do in that super-confident way that only Americans can.
There is a sudden hush in the studio as the most powerful woman on TV is about to take to the stage. When she appears, there is no grand announcement, no dramatic music or flashing lights; she just struts to her chair as if she was walking into an office and after more than 20 years, this is very much her day job. She looks fabulous, wearing a pale green top and crisp white trousers and she is thinner than we expect as a result of a major diet she has been on since the New Year.
The audience goes absolutely crazy when they catch a glimpse of their idol and a young girl beside us is practically shaking in her seat with excitement. The show goes by in a flash and there is surprisingly little interaction between Oprah and her audience. Between stories, she engages in some lighthearted banter with her cameraman and cracks a couple of jokes to keep the diehard fans excited.
When the hour-long recording comes to an end, she surprises the audience with a one-on-one session which makes us feel the visit was worthwhile. Hundreds of hands spear-up around the room in the hope of speaking with the great one. She answers questions on men and love, gives career advice to a young journalism student and speaks about her plans for the future. With each word she utters, the audience becomes more and more mesmerised; Oprah in person is as inspirational as the subject matter of her shows.
Before she takes her leave, she turns to the wide-eyed crowd and reiterates how surprised she is that people still turn up day after day for the show. To which one young lady loudly responds, “of course we’re here, you’re Oprah!” And with that, she’s gone.
