The Old Days on RTE

squonk

I remember Derek Davis being battered by the wrestler as well. I figured it was set up as it was the very last item in the final show in the series. Also the desk appeared enormously flimsy so I figured that it was a stand in they kitted up so no serious injury was done.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423710#Comment_121423710

Going Strong was also repeated on Sunday mornings. Was on in the late 1970s too.

Not entertaining - for me anyway

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121424567#Comment_121424567

My Nothing To It piece is here - plus a 5 minute clip

https://wheresgrandad.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/nothing-to-it/

Mullaghteelin

"Living in the Desert: The Adventures of Scrapiron O'Toole" was an obscure low-budget educational documentary made in Texas, that bizarrely ended up being shown primetime on The Den around 1993.

The entire internet seems to have repressed the memory of it, there's barely any evidence it even existed.

Ray Darcy started apologising before each episode because it was so hated. They had a little celebration when the last episode aired.

I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only person who has any memory of this happening. How or why it ended up on RTE is anyone's guess.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121426252#Comment_121426252

Saw the clip on your article. I was in first year of secondary school when that show aired. It was only much later I realised how utterly crap the mud/late 80s was here kind wise, and this was the best they could do? You ready have to wonder. It’s utterly shít that they pretty much recommended expiration in the end. I can it if concede in the mid 90s and was insulated from most of the harsh reality through being a kid, a teenager and college student and thugs had injected vastly by the time I graduated.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121426400#Comment_121426400

It's mentioned on the Wikipedia entry for Network 2.

I have a vague recollection of something like that. I lived with a guy who would tape The Den and watch it later. Presumably it was dirt cheap.

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/116924821#Comment_116924821

This is Carlton your doorman😆😆

Hangdogroad

Couched, comedy sketch show that ran on Network 2 towards the end of 1998 late at night. Some of the Apre Match team were involved in it. As well as regular sketches it used to show snippits from the RTE archives and dub over them. In those pre YouTube days it was a big novelty. I couldn't stop laughing at this particular bit, especially as I'm just about old enough to remember the original (Cathal Dunne, Happy Man. Ireland Eurovision entry 79)

https://youtu.be/BA2b5vBiVf8?si=h-bt2amfmHiXaBy7

Shakyfan

Does anyone remember the week Simon Young stood in on the Den and he and Dustin did a spoof each day of some of the RTE shows of the day like Glenroe? Would love to see those again!

George White

Sometimes, you would get shows like Scrapiron O'Toole, made by regional PBS affiliates or whatever that would get showings, not just here. Like BBC2 showed Drug Avengers, a very odd PBS PSA/Cartoon about teenagers in a dystopian future who become anti-drug superheroes. Animated in a very Bill Plympton-type style.

Scrapiron O'Toole doesn't seem to have shown on PBS. The actor, Peyton Park did do a few other Texan things including PBS' Wishbone and the Lathe of Heaven, and a few eps of Dallas (obviously, being a Texan actor...)

RoTelly

@Shakyfan I think it was featured on The Den is TEN, Simply Delirious where they both dressed up as Darina Allen.

RoTelly

@squonk Nothing to it? was produced by Gerry Steinbridge, he'd been given the task of a Job search / advice show for RTÉ and came up with this, so it was largely budgeted on a low budget jobs show.

Later RTÉ would produce Get a Grip or life something like that replacing Jo Maxi and later again PM LIVE had a night time spin off show on Network 2 for some reason doing the samething.

bobbyss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/116997142#Comment_116997142

Looking back on this programme I think it was before its time. The presenter Liam o Murchu I thought was very talented. As far as I can remember he also had a 5-6pm radio slot on Radio 1 at one stage. Another very enjoyable programme. He was well read, in tune with his audience and articulate. Great presenter.

Radio5

'Summerhouse' back in the 80s. Saw a clip recently from it from RTE Archive. Presenters -Áine O'Connor and Vincent Hanly both now RIP.

Expunge

I went to a talk at the Vincent Hanly Summer School, part of this years Clonmel Arts Festival at the weekend. Conor McAnally, who made MT USA was one of the guests. He explained how it came about.

The record companies started making big budget music videos for the first time in the early 80's and were giving them free to MTV, who started to make a fortune with very little costs.

McAnally approached the Irish record companies looking for permission to use the videos. He offered to pay - a little over £1 per play. They laughed initially but he convinced them that it would set a precedent so they could charge a lot more in major markets like the UK and Germany. They went for it.

He approached RTE looking for a slot and was given Sunday afternoons - a graveyard solt in advertising terms.

Within 3 weeks of the first MTUSA broadcast, RTE were able to charge evening primetime rates and easily filled all the slots.

The links were recorded in New York early in the week. The tapes were couriered to JFK, flown to London to convert them to European standard, couriered to Heathrow, flown to Dublin, arriving in the editing suite by Wednesday/Thursday morning.

Finished programme was sent in to RTE on the Friday evening.

Only 3 seasons ever made owing to Vincent's tragic early death in 1987. An Irish cultural landmark, I would think.

saabsaab

Hall's Pictorial Weekly

The Riordans

Mart and Market

Wanderly Wagon

The Avengers (Steed and Mrs Peel version)

All great viewing but TV didn't start until 6pm and shut down around 11.

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614511#Comment_123614511

I think it got repeated, maybe on the following Friday night?

Compelling viewing and where else would we have heard Tony Carey?

I used to have to travel from Sligo to Galway every second Sunday and was gutted that I'd miss part of the show - even though we had to watch it in black and white on a telly that cost a tenner! Try telling that to the youth of today!

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614511#Comment_123614511

Great to hear the backstory, with all the funny conversion tasks. Today, they'd be recording on their iPhone and uploading the video back to base over 5G instantly.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123614511#Comment_123614511

Prob the first indo production on RTÉ before they were all that legal as such.