Little to ho, ho, ho about in RTÉ’s festive line-up

MANY people will find little to “ho, ho, ho” about in this year’s RTÉ festive line-up as the station relies on homegrown mainstays to get through the vestiges of what has felt like a 12-month hangover.

When the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special is named as the first item of the “big entertainment this Christmas”, closely followed by the “comic misadventures” of Sergeant Mattie, it is clear many living rooms may be flicking to the satellite channels or cracking open the Christmas present DVDs to find their entertainment.

The Dubliners for “One Night Only” will, at best, appeal to a percentage of the watching public.

Mooney’s Tunes, a collaboration between the Derek Mooney Radio show and RTÉ concert orchestra, and Daniel O’Donnell at 50 are also unlikely to have mass appeal.

Filmwise, there are some highlights, such as the second of Daniel Craig’s ventures as 007 in Quantum of Solace, and young and old will appreciate Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince even though there have been two films in the series released since then.

The best options in RTÉ’s Christmas line-up seem to be aimed at the younger viewer. Films such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Bolt, and Monsters and Aliens will be popular. And OMG! Jedward’s Dream Factory will be a sure-fire hit.

In his summation of the line-up, Glen Killane, managing director of RTÉ Television, appeared to concede it is influenced by the cash-strapped times.

“I’m proud to unveil such a strong and varied Christmas schedule full of quality home-produced programming in such challenging economic times,” he said.