RTÉ unveils highlights to woo festive viewers

A SPECIAL documentary on late 2FM broadcaster Gerry Ryan will be among the highlights of Christmas TV on RTÉ.

The national broadcaster has unveiled its programme highlights for the festive season with the traditional promise of providing a “cracking schedule” to lure TV viewers away from their presents of box sets.

Telly fans might be sick and tired of sitting in front of their sets during this cold snap but RTÉ will be hoping they’ll switch back on in time for Christmas with a range of brand new, home-produced programmes including, Gerry — a specially commissioned documentary on the eventful life and career of the legendary broadcaster whose death last April shocked the nation.

Bestselling author Maeve Binchy will also be the subject of a special profile which charts the story of how the Dalkey novelist became one of the world’s leading writers, while Jimmy Magee, the sports broadcaster known as “the memory man”, will also be the focus of a documentary which traces his working life and some of the famous sports events he has covered during his long career with RTÉ.

There will also be special sports documentaries including Galvinised — a fly-on-the-wall documentary on the controversial Kerry footballer Paul Galvin — and The Fields of Athenry, which explains how the ballad became a major sporting anthem.

Since the advent of video, film blockbusters no longer hold the attraction they once did in the Christmas TV schedule but RTÉ hopes movies like There Will Be Blood, Mamma Mia, PS I Love You and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas will prove rating winners rather than turkeys. There will also be a short Irish Movie Season which a number of premiers including The Secret of Kells, Zonad and Wide Open Spaces.

Animation films feature strongly with popular kids’ favourites including Wall-E, Happy feet, Ratatouille and Shrek the Third.

Highlight of home-produced drama will be the feature-length screening of Wilde Decembers, based on Edna O’Brien’s novel of the same name.

Regular shows also feature strongly in the schedule with an edition of the Late Late Show being broadcast on Christmas Eve following a special programme that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Late Late Toy Show.

A host of celebrities will join Marty Whelan and Kathryn Thomas on New Year’s Eve for a special edition of Winning Streak where all monies will be donated to selected charities. The popular Lottery show will also be the subject of a special one-off programme looking back at its 20-year history.

Home-produced programming shows a concentration on comedy including seasonal specials from regular shows like The Hardy Bucks, the Republic of Telly and Katherine Lynch’s Wagon’s Den.

Up Close and Personal will also showcase some of the best-known Irish comedians recorded recently in front of a specially invited audience at the Sugar Club in Dublin including Deirdre O’Kane, Jason Byrne and Jimeoin. Other belly laughs are due to be provided by a broadcast of Des Bishop’s live show, Desfunctional, while there will also be a special Yuletide edition of Pat Shortt’s Mattie.