A two-part special of ‘Killinaskully’, sketch show ‘Your Bad Self’, ‘The Late Late Show Joe Dolan Tribute’, a brand new ‘Celebrity Bainisteoir’ and docu drama ‘The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce’ are only some of the many home produced programmes that will make up this years RTÉ festive schedule.
11 new entertainment programmes will be aired this Christmas season, including a two part special of ‘Killinaskully’: ‘The Emergency 1’ and ‘The Emergency 2’ to be broadcast over Christmas Day and St. Stephens Day. Twink joins ‘Podge & Rodge's Christmas Craic’ on Stephens’ night, preceded by ‘An Audience with Katherine Lynch’ as Katherine Lynch takes to the stage with an audience of hand-picked famous folk.
Other titles to air include the darkly-humoured sketch show ‘Your Bad Self’, featuring performances from actors including Michael McElhatton and Peter McDonald, while comedian Barry Murphy presents a light-hearted look at some of Ireland's best TV moments from 2008 in ‘Now That's What I Call The TV 2008’.
‘The Late Late Show‘ will pay tribute to Joe Dolan while Gerry Ryan remembers another musical legend in ‘Ronnie Drew: A Ryan Confidential Special’. In brand new ‘Celebrity Bainisteoir: The Christmas Challenge’ reigning champion, Bainisteoir Marty Whelan, takes on Patrick Kielty in this one-off Christmas special.
On New Year's Eve, Aidan Power and Kathryn Thomas are joined by Caroline Morahan, Rosanna Davison, Brian O' Driscoll, Bernard Dunne and Keith Duffy as try their luck for their chosen charities in ‘Winning Streak Dream Ticket Celebrity Special’ while later that night ‘Tubridy Tonight’ rings in the New Year.
There will be five episodes of ‘Fair City’ shown over the Christmas with Shane MacGowan paying a Christmas Day visit to Carrigstown. There will also be a look at the love stories of the soap over the last two decades in the one-hour special, ‘A Fair City for Love’.
In factual programming Craig Doyle returns to countdown the wealthiest people in Ireland, turning his attention to the under 30s in ‘Young, Irish and Wealthy’, while the new documentary ‘Cathal O' Shannon: Telling Tales’ tells the story of the life of the RTÉ broadcaster and journalist. ‘The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce’ is a brand new drama-doc from the Hidden History series, which recounts the story of an Irish prisoner in Tasmania in the 1820s and stars Ciarán McMenamin and Adrian Dunbar.
Other new documentaries include ‘Anew McMaster: A Theatrical Life’, ‘A Bit of a Fillum: Ryan's Daughter in Dingle’; and ‘Flynnie’.
There will also be four new editions of Lifestyle programmes including ‘Corrigan's Family Christmas’, ‘Rachel Allen: Bake!’, ‘The Restaurant 5 Star Cook-Off’ with Tracey Piggott and Kevin Myers while Lisa Murphy and TV presenter Pamela Flood battle it out in ‘Celebrity Showhouse’.
In RTÉ Young People's, ‘It's My Show’ returns for a second series with Caroline Morahan, Brian Dowling and film and theatre director Peter Sheridan on the expert panel as 10 to 13 year olds compete against each other to present RTÉ Two's ‘ICE’. The Den will run throughout the Christmas season on RTÉ Two alongside special festive editions of ‘T.O.A.S.T’. and ‘Sattitude’ as well as the drama ‘Aisling's Holiday Diary’.
Highlights from this year's Christmas religious programmes include ‘Christmas Carols from St Patricks Cathedral’, as performed by Declan O'Rourke, Fionnuala Gill, Altan, Duke Special, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and St Patricks Cathedral Choir. ‘Midnight Mass’ features soprano soloist Niamh Murray, and ‘Christmas Day Mass’ will have a message from President McAleese.
Music programmes include ‘A Christmas Celebration with Eimear Quinn’, in which singer Eimear Quinn performs a showcase of hymns and carols from Castle Leslie in Co Monaghan as well as ‘Kila: Live in Concert’, ‘The New Year's Day Concert’ from Vienna, ‘The Priests’, ‘Outlawed: The Real Phil Lynnott Story’, ‘Elvis The 1968 Special’, ‘Aled Jones: Ultimate Carols’ and ‘Abba The Mama Mia Story’ and the ‘Other Voices’
In terms of sports offerings over the Christmas season, the ‘RTÉ Sports Awards 2008’ will be aired on Sunday 21 December. Coverage of all four days racing from the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown as well as two brand new documentaries: ‘Big Time: Bernard Dunne's Fight for Glory’ and ‘Stanley Woods: Forgotten Hero’, ‘Hanging with Hector’ will visited the Ballydoyle Stables, ‘Euro 2008, Apres Match & All That’ looks back on Euro 2008. Darragh Maloney presents highlights of the day's top-flight action in ‘Premier Soccer Saturday’, while ‘The Road to Croker 2008’ looks back on the championship season and a look back on ‘Beijing Olympics 2008’.
Christmas Specials include a ‘Nationwide Christmas Special’ with Michael Ryan and Mary Kennedy, Anne Cassin presents ‘Capital D Christmas Special’, while News Review of The Year and News2Day Review of the Year look back on the year that was.
