Irish duo win ratings war with battling robots

Irish talent is leading the way at the BBC.

As the British broadcaster revolutionises itself by aiming to offer “great” content to younger audiences, Irish presenters Angela Scanlon and Dara Ó Briain are the very ones attracting this much-wanted demographic.

The pair co-present Robot Wars together and according to the BBC’s annual report, it is the corporation’s most popular non-children’s show with 16- to 34-year-olds.

They were announced as the presenters of the show in February 2016, which was rebooted for BBC Two, since it ended a six-year run in 2004.

The show sees amateur robot designers bring their creations to life before going into combat with each other.

While Ó Briain has been involved with the British broadcaster for more than a decade, Scanlon became known to BBC viewers in 2015 when she fronted the digital companion show to The Voice and covered T in the Park and BAFTA red carpet coverage.

Since then, the Meath woman’s star has ascended rapidly and this year she also began presenting the popular prime time programme, The One Show, winning her rave reviews.

Before her move to the UK, O’Hanlan presented on Irish television including TV3 and RTÉ fronting shows such as Getaways and creating her own documentary Oi Ginger.

The news about her and Ó Briain’s show comes as the broadcaster is re-imagining how it engages with younger audiences, including restructuring its children’s division and revitalising its comedy slate.

The BBC’s annual plan and annual report both highlighted how important children, teenagers and young adults have become for the broadcaster, and Scanlon and Ó Briain are at the heart of this.

The broadcaster’s plan is to prioritise younger audiences, aged from babies to 34, “across all our genres, services and platforms, not just via the services specifically for the young”.

It is about ensuring children and young people can find BBC content and consume it “in ways that suit their lives”, according to the state-owned corporation.