The Den on RTE TWO

brendansmith · 13-09-2010 3:23am

Out-lasted the sh1t out of 'the DJ Kat show' anyway.

That maybe due to the Irish publics inferior intellect to out British counterparts. Maybe not though, just putting it out there.

13-09-2010 3:32am

brendansmith wrote: »

That maybe due to the Irish publics inferior intellect to out British counterparts.

Or it could be due to our enhanced appreciation of "good craic", which the Den was back in the day. Craic so good, it got exported.

c montgomery · 13-09-2010 3:39am

brendansmith wrote: »

Out-lasted the sh1t out of 'the DJ Kat show' anyway.

That maybe due to the British publics inferior intellect to ours. Maybe not though, just putting it out there.

Fixed that for ya:p

Saila · 13-09-2010 3:39am

Ray had such a laugh all the time, he was genuinely and rightly so in stiches with Dustins routines and sharp humour, a class act, and had me in stiches as a kid and even teenager after school wind downs after getting in

Thanks for all the hours and hours of fun through my childhood

brendansmith · 13-09-2010 3:52am

Saila wrote: »

Ray had such a laugh all the time, he was genuinely and rightly so in stiches with Dustins routines and sharp humour, a class act, and had me in stiches as a kid and even teenager after school wind downs after getting in

I had a different method of winding down after school as a teenager. It still involved the flappt-flap-flaps though.

ironictoaster · 13-09-2010 3:58am

How has no one posted this yet, so so funny. Just the innocence of it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0S1VmlHb0Y

Degag · 13-09-2010 3:58am

Why hasn't anyone posted this yet??? LOL!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0S1VmlHb0Y

Degag · 13-09-2010 4:00am

ironictoaster wrote: »

How has no one posted this yet, so so funny. Just the innocence of it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0S1VmlHb0Y

Lol, great minds and all that!

OpenYourEyes · 13-09-2010 4:15am

They had a special show after The Den reached ten years called "The Den is ten" where they had all the past presenters together, all the puppets, and some regular guests like Stephen Gately and The Saw Doctors, and it showed loads of clips of Dempseys Den and The Den up until that point. I taped it when it was on and Id say i watched that tape hundreds of times!

Surprised they never did it after 20 years, or at least after 15years for the Ray and Damien years where the show was basically the same format.

Also, really wish they'd release a dvd of all the christmas specials!!

brendansmith · 13-09-2010 4:28am

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

They had a special show after The Den reached ten years called "The Den is ten" where they had all the past presenters together, all the puppets, and some regular guests like Stephen Gately and The Saw Doctors, and it showed loads of clips of Dempseys Den and The Den up until that point. I taped it when it was on and Id say i watched that tape hundreds of times! Surprised they never did it after 20 years, or at least after 15years for the Ray and Damien years where the show was basically the same format.

Also, really wish they'd release a dvd of all the christmas specials!!

Hopefully this post will be an eyeopener to the creators

johnmcdnl · 13-09-2010 4:43am

I started watching Den2 as it was called I think back around 95 I'd say because that's when I started primary school... used be mad to get home to watch it

but anytime I've been watching it lately it's been useless - looking back our youth was great compared to what the wee ones watch today..

13-09-2010 4:48am

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Also, really wish they'd release a dvd of all the christmas specials!!

I wrote to them at RTÉ in May last year. Thusly:

Hello there!

Since RTÉ brought out a compilation DVD of Zig and Zag on the Den in late 2008, I wonder if you plan to release a compilation of the Christmas specials sometime.

I believe "Best Bitz from Back Den" sold well and I'm convinced that a DVD of the entire Christmas special episodes would also be popular, particularly among students. I have spoken to a few people about it and they, like me, would certainly love to see such a release.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Yours truly,
[me].

In response I got this:

Hi [me],

Thanks for the mail,

There are no plans currently to release full episodes of the Zig and Zag Christmas Specials on DVD however I have included your suggestion in this week's Audience Log and have forwarded it on to RTÉ's Merchandising department for information.

Kind Regards,

and so on.

I say we fill their email boxes with requests for those Christmas specials. Surely now would be the time to do it, right? They've finished with all the Autumn scheduling...

Or is that just me being naïve?

allanb49 · 13-09-2010 9:14am

I think i remember a time when podge turned around and said fúck on air and Ray had to quickly mask it and move it to a break, Podge never returned on the Den after that...

13-09-2010 9:22am

Anyone remember when Zig and Zag were pretending to be swimming? They had these.. fake waves in the studio and the sound effects were always out of sync.

It was superb comedic timing and the show has gone to sh1t since d'Arcy's Arse left it.

Ush1 · 13-09-2010 9:26am

Craguls wrote: »

The Christmas specials used to make my childhood viewing.

Same here. Some of my best childhood memories was getting up at like 6 in the morning to watch it the whole day.

sassa · 13-09-2010 9:33am

Craguls wrote: »

The Christmas specials used to make my childhood viewing.

+1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCv4iyPqZKQ&feature=related

Luxie · 13-09-2010 9:35am

Ush1 wrote: »

Same here. Some of my best childhood memories was getting up at like 6 in the morning to watch it the whole day.

Loved the one in 95 when Zig and Zag returned from Channel 4 to be asked by Dustin 'who are youse supporting in Euro '96, go back to England youse traitors' (or words to that effect anyway)

kfallon · 13-09-2010 9:45am

Dustin doing the horse racing commentary was the best, found a clip of one on YouTube a while ago, absolute classic!

Dunjohn · 13-09-2010 10:04am

I've just noticed that Zig and Zag only ever use one hand - SO THAT'S HOW THEY DID IT!!

I remember Dempsey's Den and the early D'arcy years, required viewing back then.

kfallon · 13-09-2010 10:14am

And the ould Irish song they'd sing on St Patrick's Day:

"Well with a shillelagh in me ear,
And some shamrock up me nose,
I'll be off to Connemara in the morning!"

They don't make kids tv shows like they used!

The Poultry Party

Minstrel27 · 13-09-2010 10:17am

Flap flaps.

chin_grin · 13-09-2010 10:20am

TED! That eeeeeeeeevil b*stard. Always gettin' in to fights with Ray. :pac:

Yeah I remember the first one when Zig and Zag emerged from behind the chair, ah memories.

Also the books (well comics), did anyone have those? Fridge in a Denim Jacket (can't remember the names of the other ones) and the video "This Video Had Nothing To Do With Toast". Brilliant.

I still tell that joke, the one that Zag says in the Hospital. "What do you call cows by the ocean? A Farm-a-see (pharmacy)." Bless.

13-09-2010 10:21am

I thought the shamrock was up the hole?

Remembering it wrong, I wondered years after how they got away with "up me hole" on kid's tv.

13-09-2010 10:24am

How about "OIM A BILDAH!"

Or does anyone have the Dustin CDs? They were always out at Christmas, we got one and thought it was pure gas

Funky Ford Cortina.

kfallon · 13-09-2010 10:27am

Deleted User wrote: »

How about "OIM A BILDAH!"

Or does anyone have the Dustin CDs? They were always out at Christmas, we got one and thought it was pure gas

Funky Ford Cortina.

I got one last Xmas, some of the stuff he got away with, "Ah Twink I didn't recognise you there since you shaved off the beard!!!"

13-09-2010 10:27am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhBhW9Yaj-s

Ah. Brilliant from 3:31 onwards when Dustin is speaking Irish - is it me or does he say, "I am on the Postman once every day"?

Pretty_Pistol · 13-09-2010 10:31am

The Den was so good when it was Ray D'arcy, Zig and Zag, Dustin and Zuppy. Dustin definitely got away with saying a lot of stuff back then. Podge used to freak me out.

Does anyone remember the different sets they used? I remember them being in a caravan, shed and a spaceship.

Chairman Meow · 13-09-2010 10:33am

Who had the zig and zag books? Man, they were brilliant. Dial 'D' for dustin, The fridge in a denim jacket, and i think there was one more.
I had a poster for their video too, 'Nothing to do with toast'. Then i remember being heartbroken when they left The den to go to channel 4, and an 11 year old chairman meow flipped the **** out and started drawing union jacks all over the poster and writing 'brit loving bastards' all over it!
But yeah, the den christmas specials were fantastic. I remember watching one, i was maybe 8 or 9, and i was sitting in my PJ's, eating chocolate, watching the den on christmas morning, and Zig and Zag were pretending that they could see people watching the show and they said something like "aww look at yer man, still in his PJ's, and hes eatin chocolate for breakfast!!", you couldve knocked me over with a feather

chin_grin · 13-09-2010 10:34am

kfallon wrote: »

I got one last Xmas, some of the stuff he got away with, "Ah Twink I didn't recognise you there since you shaved off the beard!!!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0KU7O4gBhQ

kfallon · 13-09-2010 10:38am

And to think Ray D'arcy actually got paid to just sit there and listen to them, he'll never have a dream job like that again!

Even Don Conroy had his moments

The Den on RTE TWO

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