If it weren't for Paisley, there'd be no one to look at. So given the week that was in it, The Big Man, Kevin Connolly's profile of the DUP leader on Radio 4 on Sunday, was timely.

But as so often happens with intimidating autocrats, the subject turns out to be "quite nice in person", and steals the reporter's thunder. Think Hitler being fond of animals.

Connolly said he found no sign of Paisley's legendary fury on meeting him. "The tone was genial, almost avuncular, " he remarked.

Betty Boothroyd, former speaker of the House of Commons (and, by the sound of her, surely a former star of Ealing comedies), fondly told the story of throwing Paisley out of the House for calling the secretary of state for Northern Ireland a "liar". As he left, he bowed to the chair - "as he always did because he had great courtesy" - and two weeks later he dropped by to forgive her. On the whole, she seemed very taken with him.

Even Eamonn McCann's tone was one of wry indulgence. He and his friends used to go and watch Paisley on Sunday nights, "for the entertainment value". He recalled with amusement the "glassy-eyed old women" in the audience, gazing at Paisley's bulging veins and "whooping with pleasure" at his denunciations of popery. (Maybe it's pot pourri he's been complaining about all this time? ) In fact the only real rancour came from David Trimble, who is positively bitter about the fact that Paisley would now consider entering government with Sinn F�in, having castigated the former UUP leader for doing just that. How far things have come when someone like David Trimble can now be regarded as the conciliatory one.

There was a similar theme the following day when Bertie Ahern, who has made an entire career out of being "nice in person", visited the Ray D'Arcy Show.

This environment, where the highest compliment you can pay someone is that they're "down to earth", is Ahern's natural home.

It was clear that D'Arcy didn't want to be seen to be giving the taoiseach an easy time, but you might as well be a rabbit trying to stare down a snake. He asked him about attending all those functions. "You famously opened a bathroom showroom for example.

But where do you draw the line between that and governing the country?"

Ahern said nobody appreciates the hours and hours of slog he puts in behind closed doors. "Yesterday I spent eight or nine hours reading government papers, " he protested.

"Do you not think you could read more of those if you spent less time opening bathroom showrooms?"

put in Darcy. Score one for Thumper.

Darcy is just too affable, though, he can't help it.

Even his 'th' sounds were going out in sympathy.

Asking about the taoiseach's address to the US senate foreign relations committee, he said: "Did day contact you or did you contact dem? What was de tinking behind it?"

Ahern was allowed to slither away entirely on the subject of The Cheques, having insulted us all. "When it comes down to a world news story or a big Irish success story or a bit of gossip or scandal, I will tell you which one will always win in this country, and I don't think that will change."

D'Arcy let that go. He was more interested in whether or not George Bush was "good craic". Sure enough, Ahern said the US president was "a nice person". Just shows you.