Charles Mitchel the first newsreader on RTÉ Television shares some of his broadcasting memories.
The Late Late Show studio gathers stars and well-known to celebrate 20 years of RTÉ Television.
The show begins with a look back at what was happening in the news in 1962. Charles Mitchel read the headlines as he had 20 years ago. Items include the inauguration of RTÉ Television by President Éamon de Valera, the lowest temperatures recorded in 80 years, the Dublin bread strike, the growth in tourism, President Kennedy's relatives in Ireland, and the death of five people in an attempted coup in Lebanon.
Charles Mitchel was the first newsreader to read the news on RTÉ Television and a wax figure of him has been created for the RTÉ Broadcasting Museum of Television and Radio. He recalls how model maker Gordon Johnson was travelling across the border with the model in the passenger seat. Charles Mitchel also carries a lucky charm in the form of a pig for every broadcast.
This episode of 'The Late Late Show' was broadcast on 2 January 1982. The presenter is Gay Byrne.
