IT WAS a mix of some new ideas and some old-reliables as RTÉ released details of its summer schedules yesterday.
Miriam O’Callaghan will return to her Saturday night chat show, the Rose of Tralee will return as ever, but this time with Daithí Ó Se as host, and the Progressive Democrats will become prime time. And, for much of the summer, the World Cup in South Africa will be virtually impossible to avoid.
Traditionally a quiet time for television, the summer schedule has never been as important as the channel’s autumn and spring schedules.
Although there have been improvements in recent years, this year once again sees RTÉ sticking with some tried and trusted formulae during a time of the year when ratings drop and good weather is a bigger threat than rival broadcasters.
Sports coverage will be a cornerstone of this summer’s schedules, with RTÉ broadcasting 56 live soccer matches in 25 days, and as many as 40 live GAA matches.
O'Gorman's Summer– presented by Paddy O'Gorman – will return, as will the arts profile series The View Presents. And Saturday Night with Miriamwill be back for a sixth series.
The only drama will come through imported movies, but there will be political drama of sorts as among the new documentaries will be a two-part series on The PDs: From Boom to Bust, which, it says, will chart the lifespan of a party which "coincides almost to the day with the boom and bust of the Celtic Tiger era".
A three-part series, The Limits of Liberty, will see Diarmaid Ferriter chart the history of Ireland since independence.
The programme aims to “re-examine the received opinion of the foundation of the State”.
Another series Bombingswill use archive footage to look back at attacks south of the Border.
It takes to the air only a few years after a previous RTÉ series Bombersalso recreated darkest days of The Troubles.
Other new series include Life With, which will follow people with life-changing illnesses, and Skippers, a series about life on trawlers.
In the lifestyle genre, there will be more food shows, including Take on the Take-Awayin which chefs must try and beat the quality of take-away restaurants.
Celebrity chefs Kevin Thornton and Derry Clarke even feature in Tracks and Trailsa series about Ireland's walks.