The 10 best things to happen on telly in 2017

Netflix continued to make inroads, but the traditional channels also offered some excellent viewing in 2017, writes Des O’Driscoll

1. Dancing with the Stars

The first big TV rumour of the year was the talk that as soon as Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20, he’d remove Hughie Maughan as a rival for the title of Man With World’s Maddest Tan. And so it came to pass. Just two days after the biggest crowds in the history of the world cheered Trump’s crowning in Washington, Hughie was voted off RTÉ’s dance show. Coincidence? Not if you believe the second big TV rumour that many of the premium line calls used to oust Hughie were traced back to Russia. Overall, however, while Kerry uber-male Aidan O’Mahony eventually won the first series, there was a particularly Irish outpouring of love for Des Cahill.