BERTIE AHERN will be the main focus of a new three-part documentary series which is set to air on RTÉ this autumn.
The programme will take a biographical look at the Taoiseach's life in politics, as well as examining the political history of Ireland from 1992 onwards.
It is understood that members of Mr Ahern's Cabinet, including Dermot Ahern and Brian Lenihan, have been interviewed for the series, which is being filmed by Mint Productions.
At this stage it is not clear to what extent the Taoiseach is co-operating with the production or if it will feature his would-be successor, Tánaiste Brian Cowen.
The three hour-long programmes will be based on new interviews with senior political figures both past and present, which will be supplemented with archive footage from the Ahern era.
Mint Productions is run by former BBC Newsnight and Panorama producer Steve Carson and his partner, RTÉ Prime Time anchor Miriam O'Callaghan.
The company began operations in 2001 and has previously produced documentaries such as Haughey in 2005 and Fine Gael: A Family at War in 2003.
Mr Carson said that as well as focusing on Mr Ahern, the programme will continue examining Irish political events from where the 2005 Haughey series left off.
"The ethos of the programme is to look at the people taking part in these events rather than just repeating the commentary on what happened from the time."
Mr Carson said the series is in mid-production and a list of interviewees had been assembled.
Political sources last night suggested that not all members of Mr Ahern's Cabinet had yet been approached, but that most of those interviewed so far had expressed a positive view of Mr Ahern's contribution to politics.
