Interviews
Name: Maia Dunphy
Degree/Masters: BA (1997)
Tell us a little bit about your path from studying English & French in Trinity to becoming a producer, writer and broadcaster.
Like so many others, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school. I had a muddy idea about journalism and looked into the specific media/journalism courses available – mainly in the new colleges, but then my Dad took me for tea with Brendan Kennelly, and he said if I had the chance to do an Arts degree somewhere like Trinity, it would stand to me whatever I ended up doing. I was a little awestruck by him and after that meeting, Trinity was top of my list. After graduating, I went travelling around Australia for a year and then ended up in Borneo for another year, putting together an education centre for an orangutan sanctuary with my best friend.
When I got home in 2000, I was a bit of a lost soul; my friends were a few years ahead of me in careers and ‘grown up’ lives and I was still thinking! A friend told me of a vacancy at the production company Double Z Enterprises which I jumped at, as I’d been an obsessive Zig & Zag fan and that was it. I worked in production for a few years, then moved into the creative side of things, and then a few years ago, gave the other side of the camera a go, and thank God it worked out!
Your documentaries, Merlot & Me and What Women Want, have been very popular among TV audiences recently. Is documentary a medium you were always interested in?
Paradoxically, not particularly! I love the big budget BBC wildlife stuff, but more general documentaries wouldn’t have been my must-see TV. But anyone who knows me will tell you I love talking and I have a genuine interest in other people. I think it’s important to acknowledge that every country and culture has different sensibilities, and there is rarely a ‘one size fits all’ tone when it comes to documentaries. Which is why I wanted to make programmes that would appeal to Irish people – women specifically – and create casual conversations about occasionally serious subjects. I think Irish people respond well to humour, and we can find light in the darkest places. So even when the subject matter of my documentaries gets heavy, there is still some lightness without trivialising the issue.
Your spoof autobiography of Mr Tayto, The Man in the Jacket, famously kept Taoiseach Bertie Ahern off the Christmas No. 1 spot in the book charts. What are your own Top 3 Desert Island Books?
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray (who was a classmate in Trinity) is an extraordinary book. I have a closet affection for Mario Puzo as during a lonely summer working as an au pair I had nothing but two grumpy French children and three of his books for company. The Godfather is such a regular sight in top ten film lists, but the book was completely engrossing. And at the risk of a little bias, my husband’s recent autobiography Becoming Johnny Vegas is an incredibly brave and clever book.
What is the most useful piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My Dad is always telling me not to sweat the small stuff. Just a shame I still struggle not to, but I’m getting there! That and never mix the grape and the grain! Ditto on that one...
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Zig, Zag, Kermit & Fozzie Bear. We’d talk about humans behind their backs and eat only desserts – puppets don’t do savoury.
What is your favourite Christmas movie?
Can I have two? It’s a Wonderful Life (with an enormous pile of tissues) and Elf (with an enormous pile of popcorn).
You’re currently moving behind the camera to produce a Zig & Zag Christmas special – what can we expect from everybody’s favourite extraterrestrial twins?
It’s not really a move! It’s what I’ve done for years. It’s still exciting to work with the boys. It’s a hybrid of a home video show and a studio show. A live audience, a lot of noise, a bit of messing, and a big dollop of gorgeous Christmas magic. It certainly beats working for a living.