In the Name of the Fada was a show that aired on RTÉ from 13 March to 17 April 2008, documenting Irish-American comedian Des Bishop and his pursuit of fluency in the Irish language. The show was a 6-part mini-series in which Bishop spends a year living in Tír an Fhia, which is one of many Gaeltacht regions in Ireland. Bishop aims to be able to perform a stand-up comedy act as Gaeilge by the end of the stay. The theme tune is Floating by Jape.
Fade Street is a reality television show produced by RTÉ Two in Ireland. The format is loosely based on the style of American reality-TV shows such as The Hills and The City. It follows the personal lives of a group of Dubliners, aged 20 to 29. The show's participants work in a variety of jobs, several of which are associated with the Dublin-based Stellar magazine. According to RTÉ, the show is unscripted and responses are spontaneous. As in The Hills, many scenes in the show are manipulated by the show's creators. The characters are not given lines or a script, but instead react genuinely to the situations into which they are placed. Bystanders present during filming have called the reliability of this assertion into question, claiming the show's participants regularly do several retakes of scenes if the creators are not happy. In an RTÉ interview the cast denied allegations that the show is scripted, claiming that learning lines would be too difficult; Cici said, "it's completely unscripted". The soundtrack, featuring songs used in the show coming from up-and-coming Irish music artists, is central to the series. In August 2011 the show was renewed for a second season on RTE 2 Television, with the webisodes-portion exclusion on RTE Player.
The series focuses on Hoyt and Andy, who host the "Sportsbender" program airing on the All Sport Network. The two express their own opinions on the games and anything else on their minds, leading to numerous antics happening throughout. Using both animated and live action sports imagery, Hoyt and Andy are in a league of their own.
Host Maura Higgins is joined by make-up and beauty experts Cathyanne Mac Allister and Emma O’ Byrne in the search for Ireland’s next star make-up artist. This is not just make up. It's art. It's time ... to Glow Up!
Nighthawks was an Irish television series broadcast on Network 2. It was hosted by Shay Healy. It was part of the major re-brand of RTÉ Two as Network 2 in 1988. The programme, which began broadcasting in the late 1980s, was a three times-weekly, late-night series. Nighthawks was produced for its first two seasons by David Blake-Knox. In its third season the series producer was Anne Enright, later to become a Booker Prize-winning novelist. In its final season, it was produced by Briain Mac Lochlainn. The Irish Film and Television Awards-nominated director Charlie McCarthy and producers David McKenna and Philip Kampf also worked on the programme. The show's signature tune was composed by Ronan Johnston. It also featured several contributory sketches from Nuala Kelly, Joe Taylor, and Orla McGovern. An early star of the series was Northern Irish comedian Kevin McAleer, who specialised in rambling but amusing monologues to camera. The Irish actor/comedian-turned British television presenter Graham Norton also appeared on Nighthawks early in his career. Nighthawks was produced by RTÉ Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The programme was documented in the first episode of the 2008 RTÉ television series reviewing Irish comedy, Boom! Boom! The Explosion of Irish Comedy. The Irish folk and contemporary singer Mary Black has remarked on her website on the programme's 1989 connection to her song "No Frontiers". When RTÉ Radio issued new rate cards covering the period from 20 December 1999 until 4 June 2000, it used the term "Nighthawks" to refer to the fourteen spot nighttime packages it was making available on RTÉ 2fm.
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.
The comedy duo give ther unique take on a variety of subjects
Fergus and Penny are planning their wedding. While mother and the local priest are helping with the preparations for a traditional good Irish wedding, the young couple are never averse to having a quickie with whoever is available.
Blackboard Jungle is an Irish quiz show hosted by Ray D'Arcy that aired for seven series on Network 2 between 1991 and 1997. The show, which aired up to three times a week, featured two teams of three representing two competing secondary schools. A grand final was held at the end of each series.
The Sunday Game is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ Two’s longest-running shows, having been on air since 1979, one year after the channel first began broadcasting. The programme celebrated its 30th season in 2008.
In the wild forest of Backwoods, ambitious Ranger Rooney and always enthusiastic Hare get into hilarious adventures while learning a thing or two about friendship.
Langerland TV is a 10-part satirical TV program broadcast in Ireland on RTÉ Two. It began on 8 September 2008. Based upon a similar premise to that of the award-winning website LangerLand.com, the show follows on from the successful online cartoon "Top 10: What Have the Brits Ever Done For Us?". The online version was produced in a grotty warehouse in West Cork. The television series asks the same question of the typical Irish terms, including the Church, the Dubs, the GAA, the IRA, the Yanks, the Gardaí, the Celtic Tiger, the Irish language and RTÉ. The series is written and produced by Aidan O'Donovan and Colm Tobin. The animation and compositing is done by Kevin Nolan, Paul Madden and Eoin Whelehan. The series is executively produced by Darren Smith and co-produced by Red Gorilla Productions and Kite Entertainment for RTÉ. Theme music is provided by Nine Wassies from Báinne.
Stories from the everyday life of Punky, a spirited little girl, who has Down syndrome. Punky is a happy little girl who loves music, dancing and hugs! She loves playing with her big brother, Con, and jumping around with her dog, Rufus, who is Punky's best friend. He's small, hairy and loves to steal slippers and, well, what dog doesn't?
Katherine Lynch's Working Girls is a three-part Irish comedy television programme broadcast on RTÉ Two in January 2008. It stars comedienne Katherine Lynch, who also co-wrote and co-produced the series alongside Warren Meyler. It was the pair's first television series. Lynch described it as a "hybrid" series, featuring both comedy sketches and interaction with the general public. Darragh McManus of the Irish Independent wrote that it was "in the spirit of the 'comedy of cringe' vein which is so in vogue".
Comedian Bernard O’Shea convinces witty workers with ordinary day jobs to step out of their workplace and onto the stage to perform stand up comedy.
Championship Matters is a Gaelic games-themed magazine and review television programme that has aired on RTÉ Two since May 2012. Presented by Marty Morrissey, the programme features a mix of interviews, analysis and discussion on all GAA related matters. The show follows on from the The Committee Room which was shown in 2011.
Baz's Culture Clash is a six-part Irish television series. The presenter, Bazil Ashmawy, of half Egyptian parentage, spoke of this as his next television project on The Podge and Rodge Show on 21 October 2008 as he was filming the series. It is his first solo television show, having previously starred in How Low Can You Go? with Michael Hayes and Mark O'Neill. He had begun filming in September 2008 and finished the following April. He travelled the world to film the show. It was aired on RTÉ Television during September and October 2009. It was initially expected to be aired in March 2009. Paili Meek produced and Barry Egan directed. The series commenced broadcasting on 14 September 2009. A second series is on the way. Ashmawy visits a coven of witches in Kells, County Meath during one episode and undergoes hypnosis there to allow him to meet his Egyptian ancestors. He also visits a haunted house with a group called "Leinster Paranormal". He also teams up with a group of ghostbusters to visit the haunted Carlow Shopping Centre where a little girl and some former prisoners from the old county gaol are among the ghosts which are said to haunt the building. The episode in the shopping centre was filmed at night and in one incident a member of Ashmawy's film crew collapses without explanation when his body is invaded. In another episode Ashmawy meets a man who diets on roadkill, including badgers and cats.
The Once a Week Show with Dustin and Sinéad from Sinéad's House Where Dustin Likes to Hang is an Irish television chat/comedy show, broadcast on RTÉ Two in 2007 and 2008. A successor to the more frequent Dustin's Daily News, the show is hosted by Dustin the Turkey of The Den, with his assistant Sinéad Ni Churnain as a co-host. The series is more or less exactly the same as the previous show only with a studio instead of a newsroom plus the reduced daily to weekly frequency of the show. One series was produced. It began on 8 September 2007.
The Last Broadcast is a music television show broadcast on RTÉ television in Ireland, usually on a weekday night. It is presented by Dave Fanning. It features live performances, interviews and music videos and whilst these are being shown, relevant facts and news are scrolled along the screen. It initially aired on Friday nights from 23:30 until 01:00 and was ninety minutes in length and the title comes from the album of the same name by Doves. In recent times the show has featured live performances from, amongst others, Kraftwerk, Nirvana, Chemical Brothers and The Charlatans as well as legendary acts such as The Pogues, Peter Gabriel, Free and The Cure. Irish acts featured in the programme have included U2 and a live acoustic performance from Pugwash. A special from Electric Picnic in 2006 was described by Hot Press as "entertaining". The show has also featured animations by the Eyebrowy team, who have previously appeared at the Electric Picnic and in Hot Press.
Three teams of five children between 8-10 years of age enter the Quizone game in every episode. The teams, each from a different town, compete in mental and physical challenges to earn the highest possible score. The teams must research answers to difficult trivia questions under time pressure while their chosen runners race against each other in the Quizone obstacle course under the watchful eye of referee Jamie Darling. Game On!
