Deciding to see if he can eek out a living on minimum wage. Des decides to try to survive for one month working a minimum wage job in various parts of Ireland. He turns his hand to cooking in a kebab shop in Waterford; a life guard at a swimming pool complex in Tralee; a shop assistant at a supermarket in Dundalk; and a general dogs body/jack of all trades/handyman at a hotel in Dublin (keep an eye out for his stair vacuuming techniques).
The Fame Game was a television programme broadcast in Ireland on RTÉ Two. It ran for four seasons from 2001 and was presented by Caroline Morahan. She was selected to present the show from an open audition at the Royal Dublin Society in the reality TV series The Selection Box. After being presented with the contract to host The Fame Game, Morahan had only two weeks to prepare for that role. The premise of the show was that starstruck celebrity-worshipping fans were sent, usually to exotic locations, to track down their idols. It was produced by Adare Productions, they had had similar success with a weekly item on their TG4 series RíRá, where the fans tried to get the celebrities to speak a cúpla focal as Gaelige.
Jo Maxi was an Irish teenage entertainment show which would report on teenage issues. The presenters would discuss issues relating to teenagers through reports and studio discussions. They would also review books, movies and other TV shows. Gig Guides and job/study information was also reported each night. It was broadcast on Network 2 now RTÉ Two as part RTÉ's redevelopment of its second channel. It was first presented by Ray D'Arcy and various other presenters and reporters.
Against the Head is a weekly rugby magazine programme, broadcast on RTE Two and presented by Joanne Cantwell with regular panellists Shane Byrne, and Irish Times rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley with various other guests throughout the series. The programme goes out on a Monday night usually running for thirty minutes and has been broadcast since 2003. It was previously presented by Con Murphy until 2008. The programme brings viewers a mix of interviews, highlights and reviews, as well as discussion on the burning issues in Irish rugby. The series runs for the busiest period of the rugby season usually from February to May, and takes in the RBS 6 Nations Championship, Heineken Cup and AIB League and Cup, and brings its audience the latest news on developments within the game.
The Road to Croker is a magazine style sports television programme broadcast on RTÉ Two during the Gaelic games season. The programme features input from clubs, players and managers or Banisteoirí. Retired Gaelic Athletic Association figures, such as Michael "Babs" Keating, have also made contributions. The "Croker" in the title refers to the stadium Croke Park where the season draws to a close in September with the finals in Gaelic football and hurling. The programme has been nominated at the Irish Film and Television Awards. The Road to Croker was produced by Loose Horse. Episodes have been recorded in GAA clubs around Ireland, including Clarinbridge GAA Club in County Galway. That episode was recorded on the day before it was broadcast. Episodes were originally broadcast on RTÉ Two on Thursday evenings but the programme was moved to a new slot on Friday evenings for the 2009 season. In September 2009 the programme was axed and disbanded. Two years later it was replaced by The Committee Room.
The Raw Sessions is an Irish interactive music television programme broadcast on RTÉ Two in 2009. The country's first ever rockumentary series, it is presented by Dez Ryan and follows the attempts of eight musical acts to write and record an original composition in the space of twelve hours. It is produced by Lotus Media. The Raw Sessions commenced broadcast on 12 May 2009. Episodes are broadcast late on Tuesday nights and repeated late on Saturday nights. Each week the two recorded tracks are made available for download, with downloads counting towards the Irish Singles Chart. Tracks were recorded in destinations such as Sun Studios in Temple Bar, Dublin, Windmill Lane Studios on Ringsend Road, Dublin, and Grouse Lodge in County Westmeath. There was also a celebrity episode which featured more established musicians recording a cover version for charity. Eight acts took part in the show. These were Dirty Epics, Hoarsebox, The Infomatics, Majella Murphy, Noise Control, R.S.A.G., Sickboy and Sweet Jane. The four acts which made it to the semi-finals recorded a track at Grouse Lodge. The top three from that vote progressed to the final at the Button Factory in Dublin.
Your Bad Self is an Irish sketch comedy show which originally aired on RTÉ Two on December 26, 2008 at 21:40 before being developed into a series which aired in 2010.
Smoke and Mirrors is an Irish comedy cabaret television show airing on RTÉ Two each Monday night at 22:00. Launched on 1 December 2008, it is presented by the stand-up comedian Andrew Maxwell. RTÉ describes the series as "an eclectic mix of stand-up comedy and vaudeville acts". The series draws on Maxwell's live stage show, titled The Fullmooners. Alongside Maxwell's stand-up there are performances by a number of his stage show regulars such as Lady Carol of the Moontacula, described as "a jazzy blues queen who sings rock covers while playing a ukulele". As well as this spectacle there are also breakdancers and other non-Maxwellian stand-up comedians such as Britain's Adam Bloom, Craig Campbell, and Glenn Wool and Australia's Steve Hughes. The series is produced by Happy Endings Productions, the company behind The Panel.
The comedy duo give ther unique take on a variety of subjects
Auld Ones is an Irish animated television programme broadcast on RTÉ Two. It featured the antics of two Dublin pensioners, Bernie and Mary who sit at a bus stop reminiscing about their youthful adventures. The programme symbolises the tedium and meaninglessness of human life, which loosely connects the characters to one of the themes of existentialist philosophy. Divided into two series, it aired on Mondays at 22:40 and is a Wireless Production.
Dan & Becs was an Irish comedy television series aired on RTÉ Two. It portrayed the lives of an affluent South Dublin couple. Dan was played by Dave Coffey and Becs was played by Holly White. In 2008 the show was nominated for an IFTA in the Best Television Entertainment Category. The show ended in 2007 after two series. Both series were released in December 2007 on one DVD with added extras. Creator Dave Coffey, who also played Dan in the show, is working on a new show, Sarah & Steve which he described as a "sweet romantic comedy about a relationship between two working class people based in Tallaght".
Ice was an Irish weekday television programme for young persons broadcast on RTÉ Two. Presenters are Brian Ormond, Sinéad Kennedy and Rob Ross. This was one of only two shows Ormond has presented. Pop singer Miley Cyrus was interviewed on the show by Kennedy and Ross on 21 December 2009. The show ended its run on 28 May, 2010. Each year in the Christmas season the show hosted a circus themed show. Ormond was the circus ring master while Ross and Kennedy picked kids from across the country with various talents to be on their team each.
Marketplace is an RTÉ Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis of political, business and financial matters. It was first broadcast on 3 October 1987 and was presented at various times by Patrick Kinsella, Gavin Duffy, Gary Agnew, Miriam O'Callaghan, Ingrid Miley and George Lee. Marketplace was broadcast for the last time on 3 April 1996.
2TV was an Irish music programme broadcast on Sunday mornings on both Network 2 television and RTE 2fm radio from 1995 until at least 2001, even during the summer months. It was presented by Dave Fanning, with Bianca Luykx, although Ray D'Arcy was once said to have done a summer show to allow Fanning to spend more time with his family, being referred to as "Dave" "about a dozen times". The programme was essentially a continuation of Ian Dempsey's The Beatbox, which had occupied 2TV's Sunday morning time-slot for the previous number of years. In 2000, Fanning admitted that he did no work on the show and that he did not like most of the music he played on it. This was not however the reason for its cancellation as he also said he would continue presenting it. Fanning described it as "not rocket science, it's moron television", saying he "hardly even knew where the 2TV office was, and that's God's honest truth". Promotions for the show were created by a Swede, Jorgen Andreason, who had ten years experience at Swedish Television before moving to Ireland. The show was sponsored by Coca-Cola for a number of years.
Ireland's version of the series consists of a couple who are given €10,000 to spend on their wedding. However, they must spend three weeks apart without contact, and the bridegroom must organise every aspect of the event and attire, including the wedding dress, as well as the hen and stag parties, surprising the bride.
Project Ha Ha is an Irish experimental comedy television series of pilots broadcast in four parts on RTÉ Two in January 2009. The series showcases comedians such as Dead Cat Bounce, Diet of Worms, David McSavage and an ensemble piece featuring comedians including Bernard O'Shea, Colum mcDonnell and Carol Tobin. The projects are produced by such companies as Blinder Films, Red Jam Productions, D.A.D.D.Y, Accomplice Productions and Green Inc Productions. Project Ha Ha aired each Monday at 22:55 from 5 – 24 January 2009.
The Movie Show was a half-hour weekly Irish television series which served as RTÉ's flagship movie review show. First broadcast in 1993 until September 2001, it was presented by Dave Fanning, who was amongst the many people outraged when the show was axed. Movie companies were also said to be distressed at its axing. Fanning criticised RTÉ's management, who never once consulted with him before making their decision, and said the axing of the show was "ludicrous" and "outrageous". He implied that RTÉ ought to produce a programme that reviews movies as it is seen as cheap and the interviews are paid for by the movie companies themselves. Fanning insisted that it had been "a very cheap programme and we were always under budget". The Movie Show was touted as returning in 2002. The Movie Show is the working title of a new film review series for the 2012/2013 season on RTÉ. The series will run for 16 episodes, each of 25 minutes duration.
Anonymous is an Irish television series broadcast on RTÉ Two. Its concept is to disguise well-known personalities, with the use of prosthetic masks, bestow upon them a fake identity and set them up in what are intended to be humorous situations for the sake of entertainment. Anonymous is presented by Jason Byrne, who also uses a hidden microphone to communicate mischievous ideas via whispering to the disguised personality. It has run for three series. The last series was broadcast in 2009. Jason Byrne was offered funding for a fifth season, but turned it down, stating that it was too hard to find people who didn't know of the show and therefore saw through the ruses. He wanted the show to be remembered as being good while it lasted, and not being cancelled when it became desperate. Byrne was the celebrity who went anonymous in the final episode.
Kevin explores various aspects of life in America—gun rights, intimacy in the digital age and whether you really can choose your family.
The End is an adult comedy television strand on Network Two/RTÉ Two in the Republic of Ireland. The End was aired on Friday and Saturday night from 11pm to 2am. RTÉ used this show to test the audience appetite for late night TV. The End was presented by Barry Murphy on Friday nights and by Sean Moncrieff on Saturday nights. The End had a cult following of "drunks and teenagers" who would often ring into the show leaving bizarre late night messages for the presenters. Sean Moncrieff would be joined by a puppet called Septic in later seasons. Barry Murphy would use The End to launch many of his Apres Match characters such as Frank Stapleton. Sean Moncrieff would get a new chat show on RTE One called Good Grief Moncrieff, however this wasn't a success due in part to the conservative and mainstream RTE One audience. Later he would go on to present the RTE Two series Don't Feed the Gondolas.
