{"id":84273,"date":"2025-08-21T06:10:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T06:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/84273\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T06:10:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T06:10:09","slug":"rte-puts-irish-drama-at-the-heart-of-new-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/84273\/","title":{"rendered":"RT\u00c9 puts Irish drama at the heart of new schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

RT\u00c9 has announced its 2025-26 schedule, with a record year of drama, new documentaries, returning favourites and major live sport set to air from this autumn through to spring.<\/p>\n

The new slate includes three brand new Irish dramas, a revamped Ireland’s Fittest Family, coverage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup and the Presidential Election, and the return of audience favourites such as The Late Late Toy Show, Room to Improve, The 2 Johnnies’ Late Night Lock-In and The Tommy Tiernan Show.<\/p>\n

The broadcaster said the line-up reflects a changing Ireland while celebrating the creativity and storytelling that connect Irish audiences at home and abroad.<\/p>\n

Irish drama at the centre<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 is promising its strongest ever slate of homegrown drama, much of it developed with the independent production sector.<\/p>\n

New titles include The Walsh Sisters, adapted from Marian Keyes’ novels Rachel\u2019s Holiday and Anybody Out There, starring Danielle Galligan, Louisa Harland, Aidan Quinn and Carrie Crowley.<\/p>\n

\"
\nDavid Flynn, Packy Lee and Mo Dahchan in Tall Tales & Murder<\/p>\n

Other new series are John Butler\u2019s These Sacred Vows, a comedy drama set around a wedding in Tenerife, and Tall Tales & Murder, created by Stuart Carolan and Chris Addison, based on Caimh McDonnell\u2019s Dublin Trilogy books.<\/p>\n

Returning series include The Dry, Obituary, Hidden Assets and SisterS, while long-running soap Fair City will feature a high-profile wedding storyline.<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 said a record 142 hours of original Irish drama will be delivered in the coming year.<\/p>\n

Entertainment and culture<\/p>\n

Entertainment highlights include the launch of The Traitors Ireland, hosted by Siobh\u00e1n McSweeney and filmed at Slane Castle, beginning 31 August on RT\u00c9 One and RT\u00c9 Player. A companion discussion show, The Traitors Ireland Uncloaked hosted by Kevin McGahern will follow each episode.<\/p>\n

\"New
\nThe Traitors Ireland kicks off on 31 August on RT\u00c9 One<\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s Fittest Family returns with new coaches Ellen Keane, Michael Darragh MacAuley and Andrew Trimble, alongside veterans Davy Fitzgerald, Anna Geary and Donncha O\u2019Callaghan.<\/p>\n

Patrick Kielty will host his second season of The Late Late Show from 12 September. RT\u00c9 will also mark ten years of The Late Late Country Music Special, while the annual Toy Show remains a centrepiece following record international streaming numbers last year.<\/p>\n

Other returning titles include The 2 Johnnies\u2019 Late Night Lock-In, The Tommy Tiernan Show and First Dates Ireland. Dermot Bannon fronts Celebrity Super Spaces, while Imelda May presents Amhr\u00e1in na nGael, exploring Gaeltacht songs and traditions.<\/p>\n

Documentaries and factual<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 Investigates will continue its series of in-depth public service investigations, following recent reports on nursing homes, religious orders\u2019 assets and the black-market sale of weight-loss drugs.<\/p>\n

New documentaries include The Ryanair Story, charting the airline\u2019s 40-year history, and The Swindlers, a true-crime series on con-artists and fraud. The Shift: Cork University Hospital goes behind the scenes at CUH, while Caesar\u2019s Palace looks at the experience of African-Irish communities through hair culture.<\/p>\n

\"Republic
\nTony Cascarino: Extra Time documents the story of Tony Cascarino, the former hairdresser from Kent, who went from once being transferred for a set of tracksuits, to becoming an Irish footballing hero.<\/p>\n

Biographical films will include Tony Cascarino: Extra Time, Daniel O\u2019Connell: The Emancipator and Dev\u2019s Rise and Rule, marking the 50th anniversary of \u00c9amon de Valera\u2019s death. Other single films cover subjects from Rory McIlroy\u2019s Masters victory to Niall Breslin\u2019s All That Remains on the lives once hidden in St Loman\u2019s psychiatric hospital.<\/p>\n

Cultural programming includes Culture Night 2025 broadcast live from Galway, and Oliver Callan hosting The Irish Book of the Year.<\/p>\n

Home and Living<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9’s new season has plenty for fans of home, design and transformation. Who\u2019s Building Ireland? will take a fresh look at the challenges and creativity shaping the country\u2019s housing. Baz Ashmawy is back with DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland, continuing to rally volunteers and communities to deliver life-changing renovations.<\/p>\n

\"Who's
\nWith Ireland targeting 300,000 new homes by 2030, Who’s Building Ireland? goes behind the scenes of the nation’s construction boom to meet the real people making it happen.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a new chapter for Home Rescue: The Big Fix, tackling cluttered and chaotic spaces, while Room to Improve returns with Dermot Bannon guiding families through big design decisions. Property lovers can tune in to Cheap Irish Homes for more tips on finding hidden gems around the country.<\/p>\n

Sport<\/p>\n

Free-to-air sport continues across RT\u00c9 television, radio and online. Coverage includes the 2025 Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup, beginning 22 August, Ireland\u2019s autumn rugby internationals against Japan, Australia and South Africa, and UEFA Champions League matches.<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 will also show the Republic of Ireland men\u2019s World Cup qualifying campaign, the Women\u2019s Nations League promotion play-off against Belgium, and FAI Cup fixtures.<\/p>\n

\"
\nJoin Jacqui Hurley as she leads RT\u00c9’s coverage of the Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup 2025, with reporting from the Irish camp by Clare MacNamara<\/p>\n

The Irish racing calendar will feature the Irish Champions Festival in September, winter racing through November and December, and the Dublin Racing Festival in February. Golf coverage includes the Irish Open at the K Club in early September.<\/p>\n

Other events include the World Athletics Championships from Tokyo, year-round GAA coverage and a two-part documentary on the Camogie Championship.<\/p>\n

News and current affairs<\/p>\n

With a presidential election due this autumn, RT\u00c9 News and Current Affairs will provide coverage across all platforms, including debates, interviews and reporting nationwide. Katie Hannon will front a new series with the candidates.<\/p>\n

\"Prime
\nThe Prime Time team will deliver in-depth coverage of the big events<\/p>\n

Prime Time will examine national issues including anti-social behaviour and digital surveillance, while Nationwide continues to profile Irish communities. Crimecall returns with appeals for public assistance on investigations, and Scannal looks back on controversies from past decades.<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s programmes<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 Kids will add several new series alongside returning titles. Showkids, a new comedy-drama featuring Ardal O\u2019Hanlon and Philippa Dunne, begins in September. A week of short dramas, RT\u00c9 Kids Drama Week, will explore themes of friendship, identity and self-discovery.<\/p>\n

\"Dizzy
\nDizzy Deliveries is back with a brand-new series full of adventures and a special appearance from Rosie O’Donnell<\/p>\n

New factual programmes include United FC, a docuseries about young footballers, and New Wave, following Ireland\u2019s top junior surfers. Returning favourites include Dizzy Deliveries, The Unreal, Adam Loves Adventure and Puffin Rock, which also has a new feature film later this year.<\/p>\n

Commitment to Irish content<\/p>\n

Steve Carson, RT\u00c9\u2019s Director of Video, said the new line-up combined “the very best Irish creative talent both on screen and behind the scenes” with a mix of drama, entertainment, sport and factual programming.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re incredibly grateful to all of our partners in the independent sector and the teams in RT\u00c9 who continue in their mission to deliver quality Irish content for Irish audiences,” he said.<\/p>\n

The new schedule runs from late August 2025 into spring 2026, coinciding with preparations for RT\u00c9\u2019s centenary in 2026.<\/p>\n

Further announcements on programming are expected later in the year.<\/p>\n

Source: Press Association<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RT\u00c9 has announced its 2025-26 schedule, with a record year of drama, new documentaries, returning favourites and major…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":{"0":"post-84273","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}