Lucy Kennedy talks to RTÉ Entertainment's John Byrne about her latest TV adventure for Virgin Media, Lucy Investigates.
It’s fair to say that Lucy Kennedy has always been up for a laugh and game for almost anything. But this time around she’s really pushing out the proverbial boat.
Lucy Investigates is a four-part series where she cannonballs out of her comfort zone and lands in the inner circle of some of the country's most fascinating sub cultures, allowing the viewer unprecedented access into some quirky - and even kinky - parts of Irish society.
She places herself inside the lifestyles of four fascinating factions to explores everything from sex in the Suburbs, to living your life online.
She takes a close look at Ireland’s relationship with the booming cosmetic surgery industry and learns more about the vital role Traveller women play in their community.
In episode One - broadcast on Monday October 10 on Virgin Media One and streaming on the Virgin Media Player - Lucy lifts the lid on what’s trending in the sex and kink scene in Ireland today.
She gets invited to her first ever Pup Party, learns all about self-intimacy, meets a professional dominatrix and secures access to a private play party.
John Byrne: So, Lucy, I presume Lucy Investigates isn’t some kind of murder/mystery show, like Hetty Wainthropp Investigates?
Lucy Kennedy: No it’s not! Lucy Investigates look at different kinds of people. It’s a four-part documentary series, and I get to know four different groups.
One is female Travellers in Ireland - who, as you know, have generally been on the backfoot when it comes to anything media-wise or anything like that. I interviewed gorgeous, strong, female Travellers, from young to old, and we talk about everything from cultural change to life how it was and how it is. It’s fascinating stuff.
Would you believe that Traveller women are notoriously shy? Hey don’t speak out, and they don’t speak up, and yet they are the bosses of all of these camps. And culturally they are the backbone of their society.
What’s your angle in all of this?
This is all about me looking at groups that |I don’t understand or know much about.
What else is on the menu for the series?
Then I look at sex in Ireland. That was fascinating. I hung out with a dominatrix, I go to a sex party, and I interview a sexologist. And it’s just all about how sex in Ireland is changing.
Everyone is becoming a little bit more outspoken about the intimate details of their lives.
We’ve clearly come a long way since the bishop and the nightie on The Late Late Show?
I think we have. Definitely. And this is what it’s all about. It’s like, what has changed now? And I think it’s good in that, if it’s less taboo . . . I often think that things that have a taboo attached to them are things that can turn a bit yucky.
So if everyone’s a bit more honest about these things, maybe it’ll make things much better.
We also look at cosmetic surgery. I’ve had no cosmetic surgery, so we followed different people getting work done - from boob reductions to botox, everything.
You have all these celebrities who get all this surgery done, and deny it. People are trying to achieve the same look . . . it’s a tricky one.
And it’s getting younger as well. Girls as young as 17 are getting botox and they just don’t need it. I understand if somebody needs a breast reduction, or if it was something that you felt you really needed, or was going to boost your confidence, but what would worry is if my girls felt that they had to get all these things because other people are.
And finally, what’s the fourth one about?
It’s social media! So there are now college courses where you can learn how to become an influencer. I think that, as recently as a year ago, we all laughed at influencing. But it’s a now a business, a multi-million business.
YouTubers, Tik-Tokers, people who are on Instagram - they’re all absolutely rolling in it. Again, the world is changing. That’s what the series is all about.
Lucy Investigates, Mondays at 9pm, Virgin Media One and streaming on Virgin Media Player
