Overview of programming from
Peter Johnston, Head of Broadcasting,
´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland
"This autumn we will transmit 23 single
documentaries and 21 series especially
for audiences in Northern Ireland on
´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE and ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO.
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"This range of
programmes intends to really get
under the skin of this society and this
place and to bring people together
around diverse issues and interests.
We will spend £22m on TV during 2006/2007.
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"In
addition to our core services of News and
Current Affairs and Sport, there will also be
a portfolio of brand new programmes.
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"To begin, our exploration of the elements
of life in this community takes us under
water and closer to the earth.
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"In Waterworld Darryl Grimason goes 'into
the deep' in a passionate and colourful ocean
odyssey that explores our vibrant sea life.
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"We also bring back Robert Stenuit, the man
who discovered the Girona, to the scene of
his triumphant expedition in Girona.
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"Staying submersed, we join the Northern
Ireland seamen who make up the crew
aboard the cramped, hi-tech conditions of
the nuclear submarine HMS Soverign in
Officer and Commander while on the
water's surface we follow a very different
set of sea-farers – The Drifters -the last driftnet
salmon fishermen on Lough Foyle.
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"Back on dry land, the realities of rural life
are explored through the experiences of
young farmers in Grass Roots: Young
Farmers while its challenges are showcased
in Wanted - Farmers as we follow two
families planting their rural roots elsewhere,
in Montana, USA.
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"Remember Derek Thornton from our series Farm Lives? He's back to provide us with
his earthy, often hilarious wisdom about
modern city life in a series of challenges in Derek's Dreams, and our regular series
for gardening fans returns in Greenmount
Garden with Cherrie McIlwaine and John
Cushnie.
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"We've had success with documentary
profiles of various interesting characters in
our society. Last year we won the RTS
Nations & Regions Programme of the Year
with the story of Teddy Dixon, one of the
first soldiers to liberate Dachau during
the Second World War.
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"This season there are a whole range of
interesting stories. In A Portrait of
Pantridge we profile the incredible story
of medical pioneer Frank Pantridge; while
the Reverend John Dunlop takes a personal
journey in A Pilgrim's Progress to walk
in the footsteps of missionary Colin Corkey.
Corkey travelled half way across the globe
to work in occupied Manchuria, China in
1936.
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"Dickie Best provides a personal reflection
on son George in To George With Love,
one year on from his death.
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"We also explore
the world of Richard Moore who lost his
sight when he was struck by a rubber bullet
fired by a British soldier in 1972. Blind
Vision follows Richard on a special twofold
journey - firstly as he meets with the
Californian surgeon who believes he can
restore Richard's sight with a revolutionary
operation; and secondly as he attempts to
meet the soldier who shot him.
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"In sport, we look at the life of a professional
golfer when Stephen Watson goes On Tour
with Graeme McDowell while our new
arts programming profiles James Ellis as
he approaches his 75th birthday; and the 82-year-old writer and quintessential Belfast
man Sam McAughtry in Play It Again Sam.
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"We stay in touch and in tune with a couple
of cultural institutions in Northern Ireland.
Playing For Time follows the Ulster
Orchestra in its 40th anniversary season
and The Story of Field Day, authored by
Stephen Rea, is the story of the most
important theatre company ever to come
out of Northern Ireland - Field Day.
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"Artistic endeavour meets the more material
side of life in Craft Traditions and we
celebrate our material and technical heritage
in a major interactive family event - The Big
Bumper Science Quiz hosted by Eamonn
Holmes.
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"Family interaction continues in a
series of schools quizzes with John Daly in
Class Distinction - a studio-based quiz
which pits teachers against pupils from the
same school.
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"Music is important to our overall portfolio
and includes exclusive access-all-areas
coverage of the Tennent's Vital Festival,
brought to you by Across The Line TV,
including Snow Patrol playing to an audience
of over 20,000.
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"Ralph McLean returns with The Blackstaff Sessions and Proms in
the Park returns to the City Hall on 9 September.
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"Childhood experiences will be relived in
several social history documentaries. The
Lion Game is a story of 'pride' in the
Causeway Safari Park which opened in 1969.
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"Barry's is a light-hearted nostalgic rollercoaster
ride, telling the story of one of the
last great 'show families'; and The Van is a
feel-good documentary celebrating a fading
Ulster tradition, the Van Man!
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"We'll also go
retro to the Sixties and Seventies in Too Late To
Stop Now, which mixes the music and
events of the times.
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"For Belfast City Hall's hundredth anniversary, we
have three programmes; a two-part
documentary on the history of Belfast called
A Tale of Two Cities and Jim McDowell is
back to give his own personal take on the
'The Dome of Delight' in You Thought You
Knew... Belfast City Hall.
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"Stepping further back in history, we will have
a three-part series documenting The Flight
Of The Earls, while actress Flora
Montgomery retraces her 400-year family
history here back to the Hamilton
Montgomery settlement in 1606: The
Dawn Of The Ulster Scots.
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"In Ulster Generals, Colonel Tim Collins provides his own personal perspective on
the achievements and challenges of the
Ulster generals in Africa in the Second World War,
relating this to his own experience of Desert
War.
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"Contemporary life is showcased in a range
of programmes including the experience of
US citizens in Northern Ireland in Inside
The Consulate.
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"Hear My Prayer is a
personal insight into the Clonard Novena
and we capture the behind-the-scenes story
and emotions of UK's first gay civil
partnership in The Wedding.
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"In Tiago and
The Tunnel a 10-year-old Portuguese boy
captures another aspect of life as society
continues to diversify in Northern Ireland.
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"We'll get an unusual understanding of the
heartbeat of life across Northern Ireland in
an innovative series of short films called
Time Lapse Tales.
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"Other more familiar
series such as Nolan Live, Inside Out and
Getaways, our travel series presented by
Joe Lindsay and Jo Scott, are set to return.
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"Coming up in the New Year are some special
documentary-based investigations, including
the nature of death and dying in Sorry For
Your Trouble and a look at the nature of
community divisions 10 years on from the
first ceasefire in State of Minds.
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"Also for winter is a special documentary
called The Garden. It looks at a year in the
life of Glencraig and aims to change
perceptions of a once-marginalised group in
society - those with special needs.
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"And we
go backstage as a group of young offenders
in Hydebank audition, rehearse and stage the
Frank McGuinness play Observe the Sons
of Ulster.
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"More comedy and entertainment will also
return to form a key part of the schedule,
including favourites such as The Blame
Game, Folks On The Hill, Day Out With
Daly, Give My Head Peace Christmas
Special and Dry Your Eyes.
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"A major entertainment event for this
autumn includes the re-opening of the
Grand Opera House with a special show
hosted by Eamonn Holmes, and finally the
weird world of Gerry Anderson is brought
to life in a creative new way.
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"The series On The Air animates the
funniest, most idiosyncratic real-life radio
moments from the Gerry Anderson show
and places them in a surreal world, featuring
a host of colourful Ulster characters.
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"I really hope viewers will enjoy a wide range
of these new programmes as much as we
and our colleagues in the Independent
sector have enjoyed making them and
working with the many members of our
community involved."
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Peter Johnston, Head of Broadcasting, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland
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