I’m A Celebrity may be back, but Ed Power says the reality format is a much diminished force in the face of a resurgence of quality drama

RTÉ has appointed Dee Forbes as successor to outgoing director-general Noel Curran.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

A former team-mate of Lance Armstrong was shocked to learn he has tested positive for testosterone and denies doping.

RTÉ has yet to decide if it will broadcast the 2020 and 2024 Olympics after US-based media giant Discovery Communications secured the European broadcast rights for four Olympics through 2024 in a landmark deal worth €1.3bn.

A bigger boat won’t do much against this shark.

Tommy Barker discovers a little slice of America’s Cape Cod/New England style down west in County Cork.

The Government department responsible for safeguarding the wreck of the Lusitania has launched a robust defence of its management of the site over the last two decades.

You mightn’t know Paul Deasy. To give you an idea what we’re dealing with, he’s a guy who regularly gets his wife to drop him off in Dungarvan. Only Paul lives in Fermoy, 32 miles away.

Social media exploded with anger after a stuntman’s promise to be eaten alive by an anaconda snake failed.

SNAKE STUNT

Daredevil Nik Wallenda wowed Chicago and the world with two skyscraper crossings on a tightrope without a safety net or a harness.

You may not know who Nik Wallenda is, but after seeing this you won’t envy his day job.

The Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 has been the best classic car to invest in over the last decade, says the Discovery Channel.

JAGUAR’S iconic 1960s E-Type has won the race to be crowned the greatest car of all time in a new poll of motorists.

We're not sure what's worse - the terrifying sharp teeth, the cold dead eyes or the clinical ruthlessness of the sharks.

CYCLING: Johan Bruyneel, Lance Armstrong’s long-time team director, has been banned for 10 years by the American Arbitration Association.

Johan Bruyneel, Lance Armstrong’s long-time team director, has been banned for 10 years by the American Arbitration Association.

It's high-concept art, made from sugar cubes. Be prepared to lose some time in awe.

Foul play by council causes a bit of a stink

A born-again Christian watching a TV documentary on snakes answered a knock at his door only to be headbutted and struck with a samurai sword.

Eircom has entered the television market offering 34 channels in direct competition with cable and satellite giants UPC and Sky.

You know how when you're watching the Discovery Channel and you these guys get some amazing shots of dangerous animals? Sometimes it doesn't work out so well.

Television adventurer Bear Grylls is being investigated by his local council after he erected a slide off an island which he owns.

The recovery of 61 tons of silver from the SS Gairsoppa off the Galway coast highlights the treasure that is now within reach with new technology, reports John Daly

Are cereal boxes more nutritious than cornflakes?

Wildlife activists return a rehabilitated seal to the wild. In shark-infested waters. What could possibly go wrong?

Nik Wallenda’s hope of tightrope walking between New York’s most famous skyscrapers is not going to happen, the city’s top police officer has said.

Nik Wallenda’s hope of tightrope walking between New York’s most famous skyscrapers is not going to happen, the city’s top police officer has said.

American daredevil Nik Wallenda has become the first man to cross a Grand Canyon-area gorge on a tightrope, completing his latest record-breaking feat in under 23 minutes.

A tightrope daredevil has completed a walk that took him quarter of a mile over the Little Colorado River Gorge in north-eastern Arizona.

A documentary on Steve Redmond’s attempts to became the first person to swim some of the world’s most treacherous waters has wowed audiences at a major film festival.

So, there it is: Lance Armstrong has admitted to Oprah Winfrey that his dominance of cycling from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s was tainted — to put it mildly — by performance-enhancing drugs.

It has terrorised mariners since ancient times and eluded researchers for decades, but now the 'Kraken' of the deep has given up its secrets.

A leading magician has told how he managed to bag a “priceless” new year gift after completing an escape in honour of his hero Harry Houdini.

American cyclist Levi Leipheimer has been sacked by Omega Pharma-QuickStep after admitting to doping while a team-mate of Lance Armstrong.

Felix Baumgartner’s 38.6km skydive was a boon for social networks as millions of users shared in the wonder of the moment from their computers, tablets, and phones.

Al Murray’s comic alter ego is an oafish and outspoken landlord of questionable opinions, says Richard Fitzpatrick

The US Anti-Doping Agency have confirmed they are to file formal doping charges against Lance Armstrong which could see the cyclist lose his record-breaking total of seven Tour de France titles.

Lance Armstrong has renewed his attack against the United States Anti-Doping Agency by once again claiming the agency’s allegations are based on old, unproved claims.

Lance Armstrong was facing the prospect of losing his record-breaking total of seven Tour de France titles after the United States Anti-Doping Agency confirmed they had begun legal proceedings against the former cyclist.

TV adventurer Bear Grylls has left the Discovery Channel after a row over “new programming”, his publicist said today.

POLICE say an American who has claimed successful parachute jumps off the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge broke his legs in a failed attempt off Cape Town’s Table Mountain.

Zany experiments testing scientific theories in real-world settings have earned US TV show 'MythBusters' a devoted following, but a botched stunt encountered an unhappy audience when an errant cannonball smashed through a California family’s bedroom.