In their latest season TV3 are promising a heap of new Irish documentaries, new current affairs shows and the return of Living With Lucy, Gogglebox Ireland, Red Rock and loads more. But what are the highlights?
1. Living With Lucy will see Lucy Kennedy having an extended sleepover with Katie Hopkins… Keep poor Lucy in your thoughts.
As well as that, she’ll be living with Daniella Westbrook and none other than Michael Healy-Rae.
2. Ireland’s Got Talent… presented by Lucy Kennedy
They saved this announcement until the end. Lucy Kennedy will be getting a decent amount of airtime in the coming months. She will host Ireland’s Got Talent, a show that is brand new to the network.
Zenith Ireland / Twitter
Zenith Ireland / Twitter / Twitter
Judges include Louis Walsh (of course), Jason Byrne, Denise Van Outen and RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage (she was on Celebrity Big Brother back in 2015).
Visage is well known for being the butt of many of RuPaul’s jokes, but she’s well able for it. God only knows what she’ll be like on Ireland’s Got Talent.
3. Mario Rosenstock will be joining Ivan Yates and Matt Cooper every Thursday evening on The Tonight Show.
Well it’s going to be a completely different show to Tonight With Vincent Browne anyway. Is this in the hopes that Rosenstock can do impressions of politicians to save money on guest appearances to pay for that new studio they’ve built?
4. Yeah, TV3 News is going to be coming live to you from a brand new multi-million euro studio.
There was a very quick sneak peek at the studio that’ll have a dedicated new sports wing for reportage on the UEFA Champion’s League.
5. And let’s not forget their new coverage of the Six Nations.
TV3 boss Bill Malone is hoping to give the Six Nations a Superbowl Sunday kind of feel, which he mentioned during a conference in Cannes. This afternoon they gave further comment on televising the rugby tournament.
The news included Ronan O’Gara joining TV3′s rugby panel when coverage begins in January 2018.
6. Al Porter hosted the New Season launch and was fairly gas.
He didn’t hold back. And we’re not just saying that. He actually made a bareback joke in front of an audience that included Pat Kenny. As well as that, he provided a teaser of Blind Date that genuinely had the audience in tears. That’s something to look forward to.
Porter commented on the fact that it was a real struggle to get contestants without bumping into a pair of cousins considering the size of the island, so we’re excited to see how he manages it.
7. Sarah McInerney will be starting a new Sunday politics show.
She’ll review the news and politics of the week with guests and regular contributors, including TV3′s Political Correspondent Gavan Reilly. Maybe this could pick up where Vincent Browne left off if Cooper and Yates fail to do so.
They seem to have something for everyone.
Other new releases include a documentary series called True Lives which feature a range of different Irish individuals speaking about different topics that affect them, from heroin addiction to the pressure put on women who decide that they don’t want children, to a look at how Syrian Refugees settle in while seeking asylum in the west of Ireland.
They’ll be airing an excellent selection of Irish movies including A Date For Mad Mary, Cardboard Gangsters and My Name is Emily.
