RTÉ has unveiled the lineup for its autumn schedule, with highlights including 'Love/Hate' season 4, Gabriel Byrne’s detective thriller ‘Quirke’ and Amber, starring Eva Birthistle, in a parents search for their missing daughter.
RTÉ Two viewers will also get the chance to see 'Vikings' for the first time, filmed in Wicklow and starring hordes of Irish extras as the blood-thirsty barbarians.
RTÉ One
RTÉ One Channel Controller George Dixon identified strong Irish drama as the genre that sets his channel apart and confirmed that they will continue to invest in this area throughout 2014 and beyond.
'Love/Hate' Season 4
The Dublin gangland drama and winner of 13 IFTAs returns, following the dramatic conclusion to season 3, with Nidge attracting the attention of a new enemy in the form of Detective Inspector Mick Moynihan (Brían F O’Byrne) and his squad of undercover operatives.
The new series opens with Nidge, now struggling with the recession, when he pounces on an opportunity to force a client to help him import a large shipment of drugs.
As Nidge, Tommy and Fran go about business as usual, they remain unaware that Detective Moynihan and his team are monitoring their movements very carefully…
'Quirke'
Gabriel Byrne stars in this long-awaited detective thriller set in 1950s Dublin as the titular character ‘Quirke’, chief pathologist turned detective, based on the books written by John Banville under the pseudonym of Benjamin Black.
A BBC/RTÉ co-production, ‘Quirke’ wrapped principal photography in March this year and will consist of three 90 minute episodes, similar to BBC’s ‘Sherlock’.
Each episode finds Quirke investigating the death of one of the bodies that end up in his mortuary, leading him on a journey more closely linked to his own life than he realised.
'Amber'
Eva Birthistle (‘Waking the Dead’, ‘Life’s a Breeze’) and David Murray (‘Raw’) headline this new four-part RTÉ drama about a parents’ search for their missing 14-year-old daughter Amber (Lauryn Canny) who vanishes one evening.
Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, the show is written by Rob Cawley and Gary Duggan with each episode focusing on the perspective of a different individual connected to the case.
Other new and returning programmes this autumn season include ‘Ireland’s Fittest Family’, ‘The Voice of Ireland’, ‘Operation Transformation’, ‘The Genealogy Roadshow’, and ‘Irish Pictorial Weekly’.
An explosive tragedy is set to rock Carrigstown for Fair City’s 25th anniversary, and RTÉ will screen ‘The Summit’ about heroic Limerick mountain climber Ger McDonnell who died while trying to save his fellow climbers on K2 in 2008.
RTÉ will also mark the centenary of the 1913 Lockout with a major season following families as they trace their ancestor’s roles in this defining moment in Irish history.
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two Channel Controller Bill Malone, in his launch address, said that the channel remains 'a core proposition' for the under 35’s in Ireland and the ‘home of brave comedy that you won’t find anywhere else’.
'Damo and Ivor'
'The Republic of Telly' spawned the characters of Damo and Ivor and now, following 10.5 million hits on YouTube, they have gotten their own six-part scripted comedy series.
The eponymous twins, it transpires, were separated at birth - one raised by his Northside grandmother ‘Grano’ and the other by his posh and wealthy Southside parents.
Both twins, of course, are played by Andrew Quirke, with other cast members including Rik Mayall (‘The Young Ones’), Ruth McCabe (‘Single-Handed’), and Norma Sheehan (‘Moone Boy’).
'Don’t Tell The Bride'
The popular programme returns for another series as eight different grooms from across the country are each given €10,000 and three weeks to make their brides’ dream weddings come true.
The new series will consist of eight hour-long episodes, produced by Coco Television for RTÉ.
'The Fear'
The Jennifer Maguire-fronted comedy returns for another six-episode season, in which unsuspecting members of the Irish public are pranked by a host of wacky characters.
Previous highlights have included the Irrational Zookeeper, the Russian Street Walker Irinka, the Naked Man and lost American tourist Bobby Benderman - all of whose antics are caught on hidden camera.
'Vikings'
Putting comedy aside for a moment, Irish viewers will finally get the chance to see ‘Vikings’ produced by Octagon Films and filmed in Ashford Studios, Wicklow, on RTÉ Two this upcoming TV season.
The plot follows central character Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), a Viking warrior and explorer, who comes into conflict with local chieftain Earl Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne).
Expect plenty of bloodshed as their feud escalates and Irish extras get to draw their swords and charge into battle.
Other returning RTÉ Two programmes include ‘The Mario Rosenstock Show’, ‘The Republic of Telly’, and ‘The Savage Eye’.
For the full RTÉ One and Two autumn line-up, click on the link here.
