Sonia O'Sullivan and Ricky Tomlinson are among the famous faces who will join Joe Duffy for the new run of The Meaning of Life.
Joe Duffy returns this Sunday with the series where public and influential figures reveal how their lives have shaped, or been shaped by, their experiences, choices, values and beliefs.
Season 18 launches with an extended 35-minute special episode, as Joe sits down with CEO of Tilting the Lens, disability advocate and accessibility consultant, Sinéad Burke.
Sinéad has highlighted the lack of inclusivity within the fashion and design industries, but refuses to be a fashion victim, consulting with industry leaders, designers, retailers and magazine editors to ensure that clothes made for, with and by disabled people are visibly embedded in their business models.
She talks candidly about love in its many forms, revealing the source of her own drive and ambition and the challenges she faces navigating the world as a little person, in a career that has taken her from a teaching role to the cover of Vogue and the Obamas' White House.
This season, Joe will also speak with former RTÉ broadcaster Bryan Dobson; former Senator David Norris; Travellers’ rights activist Catherine Joyce Collins; tenor Ronan Tynan; actor and director Olwen Fouéré; journalist Fintan O’Toole and actor/farmer Mary McEvoy.
Commenting on the upcoming season, his fifth in the Inquisitor’s chair, Joe Duffy said: "Make no mistake, The Meaning of Life is a deeply researched, heavily thought-through recorded interview programme that befits the title and the subject.
"I am proud to present it with such strong professional backing from a great team."
Roger Childs, Commissioning Editor of Religious Content at RTÉ said: "Ever since Gay Byrne sat down to interview our first guest the late, great Sinéad O’Connor, on a cold January day in 2009, The Meaning of Life has captivated audiences, revealing different sides and depths to public figures from all walks of life.
"Five years after Gay’s sad death, Joe Duffy has made the series his own and we’re delighted that it continues to attract such diverse and interesting guests to sit in 'the chair opposite.’"
The Meaning of Life airs on Sundays at 1030pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, from October 20.
