TV3 chief to offer job to Doyle as station launches autumn schedule

TV3’s director of programmes, Ben Frow, is taking Ireland’s much-loved newsreader Anne Doyle out to lunch next week to see if she wants to work with RTÉ’s rival network.

However, Mr Frow, who was speaking ahead of the launch of TV3’s new autumn schedule in Dublin yesterday, tried to play down his date with Ms Doyle, 60, who retired from RTÉ last year.

“There are very talented people out there and it would be remiss of me not to meet them and see if they might be interested in doing something on television,” he said.

“Anne Doyle, like a lot of other people, is very talented and popular with the public. I look forward to meeting her and having a conversation with her. Something might come out of it and something might not come out of it.”

Mr Frow said he was not anxious to have more people join the network at the moment.

He said he had “his hands quite full” with the network’s first drama Deception and a new sitcom called On the Couch, as well as a host of reality TV programmes.

Deception, filmed in Galway and produced by Leiriuchain RnR production, revolves around an exclusive housing estate. The six-part series, which cost over €1.2m to make, was part-funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).

On the Couch, a six-part series created and performed by Barbara Bergin and Gary Crooke, is another view of contemporary Ireland that follows three couples embarking on relationship counselling.

Among the documentaries is The Estate , which was filmed over six months and follows six families living in Ballybeg, a sprawling council estate on the edge of Waterford City

Mr Frow, however, admitted it had become extremely difficult to keep within TV3’s annual programming budget of approximately €20m a year.

“I am reaching the point where I am thinking there is only so much more I can keep doing unless there is more money,” he said.

However, he was looking forward to TV3 being able to screen the European premiere of the remake of Dallas, a 10-part series staring Larry Hagman, which starts on Sept 3.

TV3 chief executive David McRedmond said the programme choice offered by the network should not be taken for granted.

“TV3 still requires the Irish Government to address the gross imbalance in Irish broadcasting which favours an outdated State monopoly model above independent choice and plurality.”