RTÉ Television has announced its programmes for Autumn 2002. Irish titles include the following:
DRAMA: RTE has confirmed that the popular Samson production 'Bachelor's Walk' will be back on our screens this season. Little Bird's/Wildfire's 'On Home Ground', will also be back for a new run, with lots of off-the-park intrigue as the local GAA football team of Kildoran makes another bid for glory.
Fair City, starting its 14th year with a one-hour special in early September, will be back to four nights a week, bringing viewers more of the strong storylines that have brought it consistently high ratings.
Short Cuts celebrates the work of young Irish filmmakers with another selection of the surprising, the strange and the hilarious.
ENTERTAINMENT :
X-IT File is the new comedy series from the makers of Xit Poll, the programme that lit up the recent General Election campaign.
In Only Fools Buy Horses, Hector Ó hEochagáin has six programmes in which to buy, train and race a horse at flat meetings all over Ireland, starting from a base of total ignorance in matters equine.
Among the music highlights are The Paul Brady Songbook, a major six-part retrospective featuring Paul, his band and some very special guests.
The news footage and music of Ireland in the 1970s will feature in the third series of Reeling In The Years.
In a new nation-wide talent contest, You’re A Star!, 100 acts will be chosen by RTÉ viewers, with the overall winner singing Ireland's entry to next year's Eurovision Song Contest.
Tracy Piggott will host the new sports quiz game from Setanta, At The End of the Day, with two resident team captains, Joe Brolly and Tony Cascarino.
Already a hit on its return to RTÉ screens, Like It Love It's The Lyrics Board music game, restyled for a new generation and hosted by Linda Martin, moves to a new peak viewing Sunday night slot on RTÉ ONE in the autumn.
The Fame Game will once again give its contestants the chance to track down and meet their idols for an on-camera encounter.
And of course Pat Kenny will be back with The Late Late Show as RTÉ's perenially popular show celebrates its 40th year on the air.
LIFESTYLE:
Anna Nolan, who made her name in Big Brother will become a sort of big sister for viewers in her new series Ask Anna, in which, each week she will help someone solve a personal predicament.
The Health Squad is a new programme in which presenter Sheana Keane, a newcomer to our screens, will be joined by three health and lifestyle professionals to help viewers improve their health and wellbeing.
Darina Allen will present Ballymaloe Cookery School, a series based on her best-selling book and the increasing success of the school, and, in Open House Marty Whelan and Mary Kennedy once more invite viewers into their busy afternoon studio residence.
Off The Rails will be back to guide us all through the fashion jungle, while Kathryn Thomas will once again be steering viewers to holiday hot-spots home and abroad in No Frontiers.
Marty Whelan and Mary Kennedy will once again invite viewers to drop into their Open House (Tyrone), in Studio 1 as the daytime series returns packed with ideas, suggestions and lifestyle features.
FACTUAL PROGRAMMING:
The acclaimed True Lives documentary series returns with a further season of absorbing human interest stories, ranging from Eamonn Andrews, a programme on Ireland’s first international media star, to Soldiers of the Queen, a documentary on those Irishmen of all traditions who serve together under the Union flag.
NYPD Green (Graph) is a new four-part series on the lives of NYPD officers who are either Irish-born or of Irish origin.
Vincent Browne makes a welcome return to television screens with The Midnight Court with Vincent Browne, in what promises to be a new, provocative and insightful Sunday night discussion series.
Léargas will be back with more searching and insightful documentaries on Irish life, while Would You Believe returns with a new series of personal stories. The best of international documentary will feature in a new series, World Stories on Network 2.
Among the returning favourites are Ear To The Ground (Agtel), marking its tenth year on air, Out of the Blue with Derek Davis, the literacy programme Read Write Now, John Kelly’s review programme The View, the magazine for the deaf community, Hands On (Mind the Gap), the documentary series Townlands, and of course the monthly edition of Crimeline.
NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Prime Time, RTÉ’s flagship current affairs programme will bring more investigative reports on major issues and events, as well as informed analysis and discussion, while Questions and Answers gives the public their say in its weekly studio forum.
COMEDY: Monday night is now well established as Comedy Night on Network 2. The stellar line-up this season includes the brand new and the tried and true:
Among the new offerings is Supertramp - Tommy Tiernan's Walking Tour Of Ireland, in which Tommy, one of Ireland's favourite comic sons, will give his own inimitable interpretation of the idiosyncracies of smalltown Ireland.
Also new this season is Just For Laughs, presented by Ed Byrne, a 6-part kaleidoscopic whistle stop tour of the Montreal Comedy Festival 2002, a mixture of comedy archive footage, festival footage and interviews. Double Z's Podge & Rodge makes a welcome return.
YOUNG PEOPLE'S PROGRAMMING: The Den is back seven days a week on Network 2 with the best and liveliest kids programmes around. Damien, Dustin, Geri Maye and Soky are on every week day with games, competitions with top prizes, and great guests from the world of showbiz.
Creature Feature with lots of unusual animals and insects, make and do show Sticky and Digby Chix the science programme for young people are also all to be found on The Den each week.
Mary Kingston returns this autumn with two shows every weekend – the ever popular Disney Club on Sunday mornings, and now Disney Saturday, keeping younger viewers entertained with all their favourite cartoons.
After the huge success of last year’s Yummee, now a best-selling book as well, Aoileann Garavaglia presents a brand new series of the cookery programme for young chefs.
Kevin O’Connell presents a brand new series of the book review series Wicked – The Book Squad – with the titles reviewed by children, for children.
The Stream team of Jo Mooney, Kevin O’Connell and Steve Curran are back with a brand new series this autumn, along with a fresh look for the programme and some new features.
