TV3’s autumn schedule to feature ‘TDs on welfare’

TDs living on social welfare, a brutal family feud that threatens to envelop an entire community and a documentary series about people living on islands off Ireland’s west coast are among the new offerings in TV3’s autumn 2014 and 2015 lineup.

The schedule also features new faces. Economist and broadcaster David McWilliams will sit down with some of the most influential people in Ireland and worldwide for frank and emotionally-charged interviews.

Speaking at the TV3 schedule launch in Dublin today, he said: "There are all sorts of people influencing Irish lives, and sometimes we don't interview them, listen to them or sit them down and say 'Ok, what's going on in your world? What makes you think?' So the idea is to go out and find international newsmakers" and do just that. "

The station’s chief executive David McRedmond said the past seven years had seen “massive industry upheaval”. And rival station UTV is set to launch next year.

So the station is changing things up by adding more Irish-produced shows and debuting 30 original programmes.

Irish-produced feature film The Guarantee premiers in November. Starring Peter Coonan and David Murray and directed by Ian Power, the film recreates the drama surrounding the most significant political decision in modern Irish history: the night the Irish Government decided to guarantee the entire domestic banking system.

Set in a fictional harbour town in Dublin, the much-hyped new soap Red Rock will tell the story of two violently feuding families with a police precinct caught between them. It debuts in January 2015.

TV3 is starting a new public affairs documentary unit that will produce topical investigative documentaries such as A secret buried: the mother and baby scandal and Garth Brooks: what went wrong?

Documentary series A TD in my house will follow four TDs as they move in with families on social welfare in their constituencies and deal with the realities of survival. The social experiment aims to give a voice to struggling families across the country.

For sports fans, the station promises the biggest TV event of 2015: the Rugby World Cup. It also won exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights for UFC on 3e, after its hugely successful ‘Fight Night Dublin’ featuring Conor McGregor.

The station will also broadcast UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches.

The revamp won't affect favourites such as Tonight with Vincent Browne, The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, which will return to screens during the season.

What’s New on TV3

David McWilliams

The economist and broadcaster will sit down with some of the most influential figures in Ireland and worldwide for in-depth interviews with one person per episode.

A TD In My House

Four TDs will move in with struggling families and deal with the realities of living on social welfare in this documentary series.

The Guarantee

Based on Colin Murphy’s stage play, the feature film is a tragic drama about the night of the bank guarantee, with Ireland as the film’s tragic hero.

Red Rock

This new Irish soap tells the story of a busy Dublin police station caught in the middle of two brutally feuding families. The soap hits screens in January 2015.

Paramedics

Emergency is a way of life for the people in this six-part documentary series.

The Joy

This documentary series explores life behind bars via unprecedented access to the Mountjoy campus.

Islanders

Three families living on three islands off Ireland’s west coast are featured in this reality series.

Blind Date

The dating game show hosted by Lucy Kelly promises to solve the dating woes of singletons.

Jason Byrne’s Snaptastic Show

Comedian Jason Byrne will invite celebrity guests to share cringey old photos with the world.

Renovation Nation

Professionals and volunteers unite to perform a series of one-day renovations to community and charity spaces.