A comedian who spent years entertaining RTE audiences has spoken about an "unfair culture" at the station.
Anne Gildea of the popular comic trio, The Nualas, appeared on many of RTE’s top shows, including several appearances on The Late Late Show.
The Sligo comedian, who is also a breast cancer survivor, told The Irish Mirror: "I started in RTE in 1995 on Gerry Ryan Tonight, where I was his sidekick."
READ MORE - Former Nualas star Anne Gildea opens up about terrifying ovarian cancer scare
But Anne recalls being given some advice earlier on her career with RTE.
She said: "I was told it didn’t matter what you wrote - as long as the ‘boys upstairs liked it’.
"I found RTE always to be weirdly political. But I never understood what those politics were - so I felt like a fish out of water. I felt like a moron - it was insane.
"I also worked for the BBC and there it was all about the work - they were immensely professional and they paid well."
Anne added: "Now RTE are no longer the gatekeepers. Social media has been brilliant for female comedians - everything has changed.
"We no longer have to pitch to an organisation which runs like a civil service.
"RTE is getting its come-uppance now. It had plenty of opportunities to create excellent comedy with the wealth of talent in the country."
Anne feels that the national broadcaster creates its own stars.
She added: "The stars have been created by RTE - where else would they go?
"It’s a very unfair culture."
The funnywoman, whose brother Kevin is also a comedian, is performing at The Everyman Theatre in Cork this Saturday with her show, How To Get The Menopause And Enjoy It.
The comedian is also joining comic heavyweights Tommy Tiernan, Dara O Briain and Emma Doran at the Dublin Comedy Festival later this month.
