2008 in Irish television explained

The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2008.

Events

January

• No events

February

• No events

March

• 10 March – A blanket ban on filming in and around Stormont Castle is lifted when the restrictions on the presence of cameras in the building are lifted, thus allowing proceedings in the Northern Ireland Assembly to be televised.^[1]
• 17 March – Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan announces the launch of RTÉ International under the new working title of Diaspora TV.

April

• 5 April – Sesame Tree Debutes on BBC Two Northern Ireland, it is shown on CBeebies in the UK in August

May

• No events

June

• 4 June – An article in The Irish Post suggests that Diaspora TV will keep the RTÉ International name. The channel may also be on air ahead of the scheduled launch date of 17 March 2009.^[2]
• 12 June – RTÉ News Now is launched as an online service. The channel began broadcasting as a free-to-air channel on 29 October 2010 on Saorview.

July

• 27 July – For the first time, the annual Reek Sunday Mass on the summit of Croagh Patrick is broadcast live worldwide by RTÉ. It is celebrated by Bishop Michael Neary, who speaks of consumer values that he feels are seducing society.^[3]

August

• No events

September

• No events

October

• 6 October – TG4 picks up US comedy drama Lipstick Jungle.
• 20 October – TV3 announces that it will axe the Friday broadcast of TV3 Nightly News, moving current affairs programme The Political Party to replace it. The Saturday and Sunday editions of TV3 News at 5:30 will also cut back, with TV3 News at 5:30 being axed from the weekend schedules to be replaced by five-minute news bulletins.^[4]
• October – RTÉ News Now wins the award for Business Services at the Inspired IT Awards in Dublin.^[5]

November

• 2 November – RTÉ postpones the planned launch of RTÉ Entertainment, citing financial circumstances. The broadcaster had written to Eamon Ryan during October claiming that it would be "unwise" for it to continue with the plan. RTÉ said it intended to honour the commitment in the 2007 Broadcasting Act and hoped to launch the station by the end of 2009. A spokeswoman for Eamon Ryan says the decision to postpone the launch of the channel is "a reflection of the financial realities in Ireland and worldwide". She adds that the minister is committed to the idea of RTÉ International and that it could be a "brilliant product" similar to BBC World News.^[6]
• 9 November – RTÉ One airs Gaybo Laughs Back in which veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne introduces some of the comedy highlights from his thirty-seven years at the helm of the long-running television series, The Late Late Show.^[7]
• 10 November – Launch of Channel South, a television channel operated by City Channel, transmitting 24-hour local programming to Cork, Limerick, and parts of Kerry, Waterford, Clare and South Tipperary.
• 21 November – An edition of The Late Late Show features a performance by the dance troupe The Satanic Sluts leading to a raft of complaints from RTÉ viewers in the following days. The same show ends with presenter Pat Kenny tearing up a pair of tickets for The Late Late Toy Show in frustration after a viewer who won them along with €10,000 in a phone-in competition said she wasn't "particularly interested" in attending.^[8]

December

• 8 December – Brenda Shanahan wins the first series of The Apprentice and a €100,000-a-year job with businessman Bill Cullen.^[9]
• December – RTÉ News moves out of its usual Studio Three in RTÉ Studios in Donnybrook, Dublin,^[10] and relocates to a temporary studio while work is carried out Studio Three for a relaunch. The new look is unveiled on the One O'Clock News programme on Monday 9 February 2009.^[11]

Unknown

• Undated – TG4 becomes a founding member of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN).^[12]
• Undated – Launch of Setanta Ireland, a subscription sports channel on Sky.

Debuts

RTÉ

• 10 January – Operation Transformation on RTÉ One (2008–present)
• 6 February – Roary the Racing Car on RTÉ Two (2007–2009)
• 6 February – Horrid Henry on RTÉ Two (2006–2019)
• 10 March – Monday Night Soccer on RTÉ Two (2008–2013)
• 23 March – Celebrity Bainisteoir on RTÉ One (2008–2012)
• 14 April – Livin' with Lucy on RTÉ Two (2008–2010)
• 12 June – Sex & Sensibility on RTÉ One (2008)
• 13 June – Zoe Kezako on RTÉ Two (2006–2008)
• 14 June – The Big Money Game on RTÉ One (2008–2013)
• 2 August – Fáilte Towers on RTÉ One (2008)
• 31 August – Whistleblower on RTÉ One (2008)
• 4 September – At Your Service on RTÉ One (2008–present)
• 8 September – Raw on RTÉ Two (2008–2013)
• 14 September – Customs on RTÉ One (2008)
• 15 September – Who Do You Think You Are? on RTÉ One (2008–2009)
• 15 October – on RTÉ One (2008)
• 28 October – Monster Buster Club on RTÉ Two (2008–2009)
• 9 November – Gaybo Laughs Back on RTÉ One (2008)
• 14 December – The Spectacular Spider-Man on RTÉ Two (2008–2009)
• Undated – Big Cook, Little Cook on RTÉ Two (2004–2006)
• Undated – It's a Big Big World on RTÉ Two (2006–2010)
• Undated – Rupert Bear, Follow the Magic... on RTÉ Two (2006–2008)

TV3

• 25 February – (2008)
• 29 May – Championship Throw-In (2008–2010)
• 1 June – Championship Live (2008–present)
• 1 September – Midday (2008–2016)
• 22 September – The Apprentice (2008–2011)

TG4

• 7 January – Seacht (2008–2011)
• 20 September – Bo on the Go! (2007–2011)
• 6 October – Lipstick Jungle (2008–2009)

BBC

• 5 April – Sesame Tree on BBC Two (2008–2013)

Ongoing television programmes

1960s

• (1961–present)
• (1962–present)
• The Late Late Show (1962–present)

1970s

• The Late Late Toy Show (1975–present)
• RTÉ News on Two (1978–2014)
• The Sunday Game (1979–present)

1980s

• Dempsey's Den (1986–2010)
• Questions and Answers (1986–2009)
• Fair City (1989–present)
• (1989–present)

1990s

• Would You Believe (1990s–present)
• Winning Streak (1990–present)
• Prime Time (1992–present)
• Nuacht RTÉ (1995–present)
• Nuacht TG4 (1996–present)
• Ros na Rún (1996–present)
• Premier Soccer Saturday (1998–2013)
• Sports Tonight (1998–2009)
• TV3 News (1998–present)
• The View (1999–2011)
• Ireland AM (1999–present)
• Telly Bingo (1999–present)

2000s

• Nationwide (2000–present)
• TV3 News at 5.30 (2001–present)
• The Clinic (2003–2009)
• The Panel (2003–2011)
• Against the Head (2003–present)
• news2day (2003–present)
• Other Voices (2003–present)
• Tubridy Tonight (2004–2009)
• The Afternoon Show (2004–2010)
• Ryan Confidential (2004–2010)
• Saturday Night with Miriam (2005–present)
• Seoige and O'Shea (2006–2009)
• The Podge and Rodge Show (2006–2010)
• Anonymous (2006–2011)
• One to One (2006–2013)
• The Week in Politics (2006–present)
• Tonight with Vincent Browne (2007–2017)
• Xposé (2007–2019)

Ending this year

• 3 April – (2008)
• 26 April – The Once a Week Show (2007–2008)
• 3 July – Sex & Sensibility (2008)
• 13 August – Fáilte Towers (2008)
• 19 October – Customs (2008)
• 26 December – Killinaskully (2003–2008)
• 31 December – Night Shift (2006–2008)
• Undated – Give My Head Peace (1998–2008)
• Undated – You're a Star (2002–2008)

See also

• 2008 in Ireland

External links

• List of 2008 Irish television series at IMDb

Notes and References

1. News: Assembly broadcasting ban lifted. BBC. BBC News. 10 March 2008. 15 June 2013.
2. Web site: RTÉ International: It's coming soon! . The Irish Post. 4 June 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080618015432/http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/story/?trs=qlojidoj&cat=news. 18 June 2008.
3. News: Archbishop's appeal on Croagh Patrick. 27 July 2008. RTÉ . RTÉ News . 13 March 2014.
4. News: TV3 lays off 15 and cuts news coverage as ad revenue slumps. The Irish Times. 21 October 2008. 20 January 2012.
5. News: RTÉ – "RTÉ News Now Wins an Inspired IT Award in the Business Services category" . Rte.ie . 10 October 2008 . 3 January 2012 .
6. News: RTÉ shelves UK launch. The Sunday Times. 2 November 2008. London. Mark. Tighe. 3 January 2012.
7. News: Star of the Day. 9 November 2008. RTÉ . RTÉ Guide.
8. News: RTÉ viewers raise hell over Late Late 'Satanic' show. 24 November 2008. 5 January 2012. Irish Independent. Jason. O'Brien.
9. News: Grainne . Cunningham . Apprentice Brenda wins job thriller . Independent News and Media . Irish Independent. 9 December 2008 . 21 February 2015.
10. Web site: RTE News comes from Studio 3, one of the smaller production facilities in Donnybrook.. Alan Farquharson. 4 January 2012.
11. News: Here is the new-look news. Grainne . Cunningham. 10 February 2009. Irish Independent. 4 January 2012.
12. Web site: World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network . WITBN . 3 January 2012.