Spring on RTÉ Television

As we move into the New Year and look forward to spring, RTÉ Television announced a strong slate of programming for the viewing public to look forward to. With a comprehensive schedule of Factual, Lifestyle, Drama, Arts, Young People's, Sport and Entertainment programming there will be something for everyone over the coming season. Some of the spring programming has already started on air - including The Voice of Ireland; Raw; Hostile Environment; At your Service - and is attracting large viewing figures. There's more where that came from over the coming weeks and months to the end of April.

Glen Killane, MD RTÉ Television said, "With 2012 up and running we continue to put viewers at the heart of what we do with a schedule that has something for everyone. The RTÉ Television spring schedule brings viewers a comprehensive range of home-produced programming with everything from big entertainment shows to young people's programming catering for pre-schoolers to teenagers, from Irish and international drama to major documentaries, from top quality sporting action and analysis to a revamped Arts schedule, from popular lifestyle shows to Irish language programmes and more. We are always striving to bring the Irish public programmes of real relevance and impact. As Ireland's public service broadcaster we were delighted to finish 2011 on a high as we topped the Christmas and New Year ratings. Already in January we have seen RTÉ programmes attract big audiences with The Voice of Ireland getting average audiences of 698,000 and popular drama Raw with 532,000 viewers. We look forward to another great year in 2012."

Factual
RTÉ Television's Factual schedule sees a wide variety of new and returning documentaries and series airing throughout the spring. Saving The Titanic is a major new international co-production to mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. And a major new documentary looks at what life after the Euro might look like in Ireland Outside The Euro?. A further tranche of TV50 programming will be broadcast later this spring including John Bowman's definitive two-part documentary, Into the Light: the Battles that Shaped Our TV (working title), tracing how RTÉ's confrontations with Government, the Church and other powerful forces have shaped our television.

Living Colour is a an extraordinary film exploring the world of an unusual artists' collective in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, where the focus is on the artists' abilities rather than their special needs. Nomads No More is a one-hour documentary that sees two US anthropologists returning to Ireland after 40 years to revisit the Travelling community they studied and lived with all those years ago.

Dragon's Den returns to give hopeful Irish entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their business schemes in front of five wealthy and successful venture capitalists, this year including a new Dragon, following the departure of Sean Gallagher. Ear To The Ground returned in January with a new series of the ever popular farming, food and rural affairs programme. The Nurse is a new fly-on-the-wall series following Community and Public Health Nurses across Ireland.

Monthly police investigation programme Crime Call returns to the schedule, as does experimental series 21st Century Child which follows up on the children and their families featured in this ongoing series. Hostile Environment concludes tonight, presented by Liam Cunningham, it's a two-part investigation into the international private security industry.

The Business returns to our screens as George Lee takes an entertaining, offbeat and informative look at the world of business and finance. RTÉ One will air MND and Me, a new documentary on RTÉ Sports presenter Colm Murray and his determination to find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease. There will also be a major new documentary on Nuala O'Faoilan.

Entertainment
Viewers can expect a range of top quality Entertainment programming across RTÉ Television throughout spring 2012. On RTÉ One, the smash hit Mrs Brown's Boys returned to our screens with comedian Brendan O'Carroll starring as Agnes Brown, the hilarious, foul-mouthed Dublin matriarch. The Voice of Ireland has just started also on RTÉ One already firmly establishing itself as the ultimate talent show with huge audiences tuning in from the first show.

The longest running chat show in the world, The Late Late Show continues to be Ireland's most popular weekly television show with Ryan Tubridy at the helm. Brendan O'Connor continues to present a lively and popular mix of chat, comedy and music on The Saturday Night Show. Winning Streak returns as Marty Whelan is joined by new presenter Geri Maye in the popular Lottery game show.

Derek Mooney brings us Who Knows Ireland Best? a new quiz show based on a specially-commissioned survey of the nation. Other popular Entertainment programmes on RTÉ One for spring include Come West Along The Road, Fleadh Cheoil and Transatlantic Sessions.

Big Entertainment event programming in spring will include coverage of the Irish Film & Television Awards, cross-platform coverage of the St. Patrick's Day Celebrations and The Late Late Eurosong and the Eurovision Song Contest from Azerbaijan.

RTÉ Two has even more Entertainment with the return of the hugely popular Republic Of Telly, the satirical and surreal sketch show The Savage Eye, a new series of The Social and Other Voices. A new six-part series of Reality Bites will give viewers a slice of Irish life looking at everything from our bedtime habits to distressed property auctions to the Irish rap scene.

Lifestyle
As ever, RTÉ Television has lots to cater for fans of Lifestyle programming. The hugely popular Operation Transformation returned to our screens at the beginning of January for a fifth series with Kathryn Thomas at the helm to follow the progress of the five leaders as they work towards a healthier lifestyle.

New series Dead Money will follow the work of heir hunters as they try to track down the next-of-kin of intestate people to pass on unexpected inheritances. The Consumer Show returns with personal finance guru Eddie Hobbs and reporter/journalist Keelin Shanley exposing bad practice, dodgy dealing and rip-offs. Diarmuid Gavin is back in Dirty Old Towns with a mission to help towns around Ireland regenerate themselves.

At Your Service returns as top hoteliers Francis and John Brennan give business makeovers on a variety of hospitality businesses. The Daily Show and Four Live continue to bring the best in daytime television with Maura Derrane, Daithi O'Se and Claire Byrne.

On RTÉ Two Don't Tell The Bride returns as more grooms take on the task of organising their wedding single-handed in three weeks with no input from their brides.

Duncan Stewart returns with Eco Eye to look at clever solutions to environmental challenges. Popular chefs Rachel Allen and Neven Maguire return with their respective cooking series. The very popular series The Zoo returns with a slice of life behind the scenes at Dublin Zoo. And Super Garden returns as five new amateur garden designers compete to showcase their garden at this year's Bloom Festival.

Arts
John Kelly returns to present The Works a new Arts magazine alongside new reporters Sinead Gleeson, Nadine O'Regan and Kevin Gildea. There will also be a number of major Arts commissions throughout Spring including profiles of Edna O'Brien and Finbar Furey and Ballymun Lullaby, the award-winning musical documentary that follows music teacher Ron Cooney on a journey of creating a collection of music that aims to bring the community of Ballymun together. Also airing will be documentary Triúr and Masterpiece: Ireland's Most-Loved Painting is a major new programme that will kick off a five-week RTÉ-wide campaign to find Ireland's favourite painting.
Irish Language
Fibín - Sétanta In The City follows the creative collaboration and the transfer of a new play by Paul Mercier from the old schoolhouse in Cois Fharraige to a sell out run in The Peacock in Dublin. A new series of Scannal returns looking back at three more of those scandals that shocked and outraged the public including the Hepatitis C Scandal, Oscar Wilde & his trials and Lying Eyes, the bizarre story of Sharon Collins and her trial for hiring a hitman on the internet to kill her partner and his sons. Aerphort is a new series looking at some of the stories behind the departure gates at our airports.

Spring 2012 will also see the launch of a special event with more details to follow later. Following the CSÍ: Cork's Bloody Secret programme which told the horrifying story of the killing of 13 Cork protestants in the Bandon Valley in 1922, we follow Church of Ireland Canon George Salter, now 85, back to the family homestead.

Drama
Ireland's most popular soap Fair City continues to keep viewers engrossed as life for the residents of Carrigstown is anything but dull. And there's more simmering drama in store now that Raw has returned for its fourth instalment with a mix of familiar faces - Jojo (Charlene McKenna), Fiona (Aisling O'Sullivan), Geoff (Damon Gameau) and Shane (Keith McErlean) - along with some new arrivals. And Storyland, the hugely successful competition for the best online drama series as voted for by the viewer returns for its fourth season.

Religious
Gay Byrne is back with IFTA-nominated series The Meaning of Life with guests including Andrea Corr, The Chieftains' Paddy Moloney, three-times Nobel Peace Prize nominee Fr Shay Cullen, Sir Richard Branson, Bob Geldof and Mary Byrne. Would You Believe? continues to explore the things people do - and the things they believe - to give life meaning, through a mixture of observational documentaries and reporter-led investigations by IFTA award-winning presenter, Mick Peelo. Also, in a 2-part Would You Believe? Special our Undercover Bishop asks searching questions about what the Church - and what a Bishop - is for, as one Irish bishop dispenses with the deference-inducing trappings of his job to mix with people unawares.

We continue to offer a regular varied programme of religious worship, covering various Christian denominations and other minority faith communities. On St Patrick's Day, we will celebrate the feast of Ireland's patron saint with a special live Mass from Knock Basilica. And in a year when Cobh remembers the tragedy of the Titanic, our Easter ceremonies will come from St Colman's cathedral there.

Young People's
RTÉ Television continues to provide a broad range of programming for younger viewers from pre-schoolers to teens and young adults

RTÉjr brings a variety of programming for pre-schoolers like Fado Fado, Punky, Fluffy Gardens, The Mad Cows, The Abadas, I'm A Monster, Fluffy Gardens, Grubz Up! and Out The Back. Emma O'Driscoll and her puppet friend Ógie have daily adventures in Hubble as they take young viewers on journeys of discovery and play

TRTÉ is RTÉ's programming for 7-15 year olds and includes popular weekday entertainment programme ELEV8 and science and adventure competition series The Mountain.

TWO TUBE is aimed at teens and young adults presented by Paul Walsh, lead singer RoySeven and includes teen entertainment show Juice.

Acquisitions
Acquired programming on RTÉ Television this spring includes the last season of Desperate Housewives, the new season of Grey's Anatomy and the arrival of new the top rated new US sitcom Two Broke Girls. Homeland is a brand new Golden Globe winning drama starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis which will feature as part of our new 'Box Set in' series for Friday nights on RTÉ Two.
RTÉ Television brings The Golden Globes free-to-air to viewers for the first time in several years so we can follow the fortunes of Irish nominees including The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Sinead O'Connor and Brendan Gleeson.

RTÉ One will also be airing brand new hit sitcom New Girl - also Golden Globe nominated - starring Zooey Deschanel. And into the spring we will see the return of The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, The Mentalist and brand new glamorous drama Revenge set in the Hamptons.

Sport
RTÉ Sport brings Rugby fans the widest and best live coverage of the RBS Six Nations, the most highly anticipated and most-watched rugby tournament in Ireland. In Rabodirect Pro 12, RTÉ Sport delivers all the Rabodirect Pro 12 reaction, analysis and interviews. Spring 2012 sees the return of Against the Head as it delivers an eclectic mix of interviews, highlights and reviews, as well as discussion on the burning issues in Irish rugby. And there will be coverage of the Ulster Bank League Final.

Soccer fans are well catered for as RTÉ Two brings all the Champions League knockout round and quarter final action, plus there's coverage of the Barclays Premier League highlights with Premier Soccer Saturday and Sunday and highlights of the International friendly Republic of Ireland V Czech Republic, Airtricity League Live brings viewers all the live action from the Airtricity League plus all the highlights on Monday Night Soccer. And there will be coverage of the 3 FAI International Football Awards.

Racing action comes courtesy of the Leopardstown Boylesports Hurdle, Leopardstown BHP Irish Champion Hurdle and the Leopardstown Hennessy Gold Cup. There will be lots more racing from the Fairyhouse Easter Festival including the Ladbrokes Irish Grand National, plus five days live from Punchestown. RTÉ Sport will also bring viewers four days of magnificent live racing action from the Cheltenham Festival, the shining jewel in jump racing's crown, as well as highlights from the Grand National at Aintree.

The GAA inter-county season begins in earnest with National Football League and National Hurling League highlights featured in League Sunday. GAA coverage on RTÉ Television will also include highlights of the GAA Club Finals.

RTÉ Sport will also bring viewers free to air coverage of the Amateur Boxing Championships, highlights of the Irish Indoor Athletics, coverage of the Great Ireland Run and Hockey Cup Finals.