My first radio review – Dil’s playful personality makes hardline topics easy listening!

Review

Good causes are often a hard sell. Terms like ‘inclusive’, ‘equality’, ‘access’, ‘rights’ and ‘social justice’ can make people clam up their ears.

We all do this; it’s human nature. There’s no worse insult, in today’s postmodern world, than to be called po-faced or humourless. Part of your brain thinks, “Ugh, another worthy-but-dull lecture reminding me of something I already know and making me feel bad for never doing much about it.”

This reflexive bias makes the job done by Dil Wickremasinghe on Global Village (Newstalk) even more impressive. The show covers all those worthy – but potentially dull – topics, like racism, multiculturalism, homosexuality, mental health, disability, ethics in business.

It’s difficult to sell something like that to listeners (I must add, it shouldn’t be difficult – we should care about these things – but being realistic, it is). It’s difficult to make it entertaining, lively and alive; to make it fun.

Yet Dil does so. I think it’s mostly down to her personality: she’s funny, playful, enthusiastic and interesting.

Born in Sri Lanka, she’s got a colourful background and a varied professional history: as well as being a broadcaster and social justice advocate, she’s done stand-up comedy.

In short, she’s anything but po-faced, humourless or dull. And neither is her show, whether or not the topics listed above are your particular cup of tea.

By Darragh McManus

Irish Independent

Read full review here