"The Big Big Movie" axed from RTE

Stephan the barman

After 28 years, The Big Big Movie is no more on Saturday evenings on RTE One.

Stephan the barman

New Saturday Evening schedule is, 6:30pm: Ireland's Fittest Family 7:30pm Songs of Ireland. 8:30pm Main Evening News, 9pm The Young Offenders. 9:40 The Tommy Tiernan Show.

Grassy Knoll

streaming etc killed it off ….

User567363

Rte's the big movie.... I never heard of it

machiavellianme

So they've replaced cheap repeated filler that hardly anyone watches with even cheaper repeated filler that no one watches?

Jim Herring

The highlight of that schedule is probably the news. Depressing.

Atlantic Dawn

Good, having it pause to show the Lotto draw was outrageous.

AJB39

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058387235/the-big-big-movie-axed-from-rte

I don’t think an announcement has been made to that affect. I suspect the movies will be back once Ireland’s Fittest Family finishes its run. The only reason Ireland’s Fittest Family is airing on Saturday nights is that it had to be postponed from Sunday nights last Autumn due to the tragic passing of one of its contestants. According to RTÉ 386,000 watched Ireland’s Fittest Family last Saturday night. 346,000 watched The Young Offenders and 364,000 watched The Tommy Tiernan Show.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123036357#Comment_123036357

Just to mention that RTÉ once actually produced a kind of family line up of programming on a Saturday night up until the axing of Ryantown in the early to mid 1990s, when most of these programmes were replaced by the Big Big Movie

6 NEWS

6:30 Mailbag followed by Talkabout (not sure what replaced these)

7:10 Star Trek TNG, Mission Impossible, Lois and Clark the new adventures of superman

8 Secrets, Ryantown (some vehicle for Gerry Ryan until he moved to late night Network 2 with Tonight with Gerry Ryan)

9 News

9:30 Dallas (eventually replaced by Kenny Live)

10:20 Kenny Live

Jim Herring

How does RTE get away with showing so many repeats?

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123045244#Comment_123045244

Ah, TNG on Saturday evenings on RTE. Childhood memories right there..

icdg

Star Trek TNG moved to Tuesday nights before it finished, at least season 7 aired in that slot (followed by season one of Deep Space Nine, which they abandoned a few episodes into season two. Much later in the 1990s, Voyager got a late night airing but I don’t think they finished that either).

Can’t remember what prompted the move, but think it was still a few more years before The Big Big Movie became a thing.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123049727#Comment_123049727

I think it might have been to do with the strike at RTÉ, they pretty much ripped through TNG for the full series never taking much of a break maybe a week or two here and there, they were at least 2 years behind the US when it started, by the time they finished I think they had caught up but it was on for a good long time in the Saturday night slot before it moved over to 2. Replaced by similar family series from the states, I think potential RobCop the series but I am not sure if Lois and Clark and it was on a Sunday night, I know Baywatch was also in there.

lohiwek852

They never really replaced winning Streak with anything 5 years on since it last aired, so they could easily have fit Ireland's fittest family along with the big big movie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123036357#Comment_123036357

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123036344#Comment_123036344

As a young chisler I used to look forward to the movies that would be played on BBC over christmas and I would have my VHS tape at the ready because they always had the latest summer blockbuster on, as well as more classical movies like indiana Jones on. The reason I recorded them on BBC was because there was no ad breaks.

The Big Big Movie having ad breaks, as well as an extended break for the Lotto helped sculpt my cynical personality from a young age.

Edit: I mean seriously, it was called The Big Big Movie. RTE regularly showed other movies during the week, they could have had one a week with no ad breaks. But no. Gay Byrne and Gerry Ryan on 400k a year had to be paid somehow.

Mickeroo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123049415#Comment_123049415

Mass in our village was at 7:30 on a Saturday evening so I used to only catch the start of TNG a lot of the time. Probably the direct cause of my atheism right there tbh, was delighted when they moved it to Tuesdays.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123050490#Comment_123050490

Never understood why the lotto draw couldn't have gone out in the middle of Winning Streak. A longer movie could have started at six with a move of the news to 5:30. How many family/children's movies go over 2 hours?

LambshankRedemption

If I remember correctly, they used to do a movie on wednesday nights on RTE 2 as well, and would break for the news. I remember writing a letter of complaint to RTE many moons ago about it, because instead of just an ad break, it was nearly half an hour gone out of the last 3rd of the movie.

Jim Herring

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123050798#Comment_123050798

Did they not just ‘pause’ the film and restart after the news?

Meaning they still showed the complete film but with ads and a news break.

RoTelly

@l

Wednesday night was RTÉ ONE's Mid-week movie, no break for the news in that movie.

It was Thursday night movie and I too complained even went as far as their Schedule manager who took offence.

His reasoning was: -

1. People who watch the news on ONE will miss the start of the film on 2
2. People who miss the news on ONE want to catch up with the late news on 2
3. If the news on 2 airs after 11:30 as the cost goes up, while the news should go out at 11 each night

However

1. Surely those who watch the movie on 2 will catch the news on 2 after the movie
2. They'll still get to catch up if the news airs after the movie
3. I went as far as to say that NEWS2 rarely aired at 11 each night.

Feel on deaf ears and ignorance.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123050798#Comment_123050798

Wednesday night was RTÉ ONE's Mid-week movie, no break for the news in that movie.

It was Thursday night movie and I too complained even went as far as their Schedule manager who took offence.

His reasoning was: -

1. People who watch the news on ONE will miss the start of the film on 2
2. People who miss the news on ONE want to catch up with the late news on 2
3. If the news on 2 airs after 11:30 as the cost goes up, while the news should go out at 11 each night

However

1. Surely those who watch the movie on 2 will catch the news on 2 after the movie
2. They'll still get to catch up if the news airs after the movie
3. I went as far as to say that NEWS2 rarely aired at 11 each night.

Feel on deaf ears and ignorance.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123050862#Comment_123050862

Thanks for the clarification. God bless your memory. I'm trying to think when I wrote my complaint but it was easily 15 years ago. I got a similar response as you.

I also made the point that News 2 was totally unnecessary which may have irked someone.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123050890#Comment_123050890

Search You Tube for The Week In Review RTÉ, interest feedback from audience members and really passive aggressive responses non-answers from RTÉ IMO.

I remember this because the email lead me to write up a report and then that report lead me to get to do a Masters in TV and Film.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058387235/the-big-big-movie-axed-from-rte

my 9 and 11 year olds always ask me what the Saturday movie is. Its kind of a thing we did over the last few years, didn't always watch it but was an option anyway. But was very annoying with the break for the lotto in the middle of a kids film

lohiwek852

There used to be weekday evening movies on RTE Network 2 too, l can vividly remember Bond movie A View to a kill coming on after Home and Away one school evening

ILikeBoats

Maybe once Ireland's Fittest Family is finished, it will come back.

If not, that's a real shame. I used to always encourage my kids to watch it if a decent movie was on. They still don't get the ads part of it!

lohiwek852

Re The Lotto, The national lottery get away with murder from official Ireland because 30% or something goes to good causes. They use much more aggressive marketing than bookie chains do. The break for the Lotto during the Saturday family movie is little more than a 10 minute infomercial for the national lottery.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058387235/the-big-big-movie-axed-from-rte

and sorry, is there an official statement etc about this? or just quietly going away

icdg

There isn’t any. This is probably the nearest it gets with the reference to “new Saturday line up”.

https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2025/0102/1488807-rtes-2025-schedule-includes-new-saturday-line-up/

However it’s also entirely possible as one poster says that it’s disappearance may be temporary.

Even if it’s permanent, kids and family films are ten a penny on every streaming service under the sun, so is it really that big a loss? I know, not everyone subscribes to streaming services.

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123050858#Comment_123050858

It was the done thing at the time. ITV used to show News at 10 in the middle of its movies as well.

icdg

Indeed was one of the main reasons why the News at When debacle happened in the first place, or at least according to ITV Network Centre officials at the time - viewers apparently hated having to wait 40 minutes (with the late regional news immediately following News at Ten) to see what at that stage was often only 30-45 minutes remaining of the film.

Strangely enough when the whole News at When saga finally winged its way to a resolution (nine years later!) the practice never resumed.

But this thread is about RTE…