A year of flux and change on and off the box

Sometimes when I look back on the year in TV and Radio there’s a certain sameness, but not this year. So many columns I wrote featured Covid-19 in some shape or form.

One effect of the coronavirus was the proliferation of repeats in the media schedules with broadcasters finding it increasingly difficult to make programmes under the restrictions. I’m sure lots of filming had been done before that, and editing could be done remotely by individuals in various stages of lockdown. From now on no doubt we’ll see more dramas where the characters are masked and maintain social distance as we’ve already begun to see in the soaps. I’m wondering how that will look in those intense interrogation scenes in Line of Duty – filming of the new series was originally suspended when Covid-19 struck first.

Guests joined virtually through Zoom or Skype, as they did for the nightly Press Preview programmes on Sky News and BBC One”

BBC One’s religious and ethical affairs programme The Big Questions started well early in the year, then the audience was reduced for distancing and then finally the programme was suspended – its continuation made difficult because the show travelled to so many different locations. By the time its replacement Sunday Morning Live came along, coping strategies were in place, made easier by the fact that this show was more studio bound. Guests joined virtually through Zoom or Skype, as they did for the nightly Press Preview programmes on Sky News and BBC One. It worked reasonably well, and I’d suspect TV execs will consider sticking with this formula – it must surely be cheaper. Gardener’s World (BBC Two) returned in March and coped very well with lockdown – there were lots of repeat clips but it prompted a welcome new feature where viewers sent in video clips of their gardens – both the participants and their garden innovations were enjoyable, so I hope they keep that slot going next year. In similar territory Heavenly Gardens (BBC One) was a timely Easter series linking gardening and religious faith.

Broadcast

Radio fared better and so many presenters broadcast from home – Michael Comyn kept The Leap of Faith going throughout with the usual high standard (I remember some interesting programmes about religious life in Covid-19 times), and religious regulars like Sunday Sequence (BBC Radio Ulster) and Sunday (BBC Radio 4) provided excellent service and a welcome degree of normality in surreal times. An interesting addition to the airwaves this summer was Times Radio, available online and as an app – worth listening to.

The boundaries between traditional media and new online and social media became more blurred than ever. In the past year I found myself reviewing material on Facebook Watch, and Apple TV+, and the new Disney+. Another consequence of the pandemic was the closure of cinemas, with film companies launching their big movies through the various streaming services. I enjoyed the film Greyhound on Apple TV+ – with Tom Hanks as a man of faith who was also a naval commander during World War II. A staged version of the hit musical Hamilton impressed on Disney+ and yet seeing that show reminded us how devastated the theatre industry was this year.

As we get to attend Mass in person yet again it seems incredible that we were deprived of it for so long. This time last year people would have been puzzled if I referred to Zoom Masses, Facebook Masses, and live YouTube Masses. Now they are second nature to us, but the overall impact into the future leaves us guessing. RTÉ did a huge service during lockdown in providing daily Mass for Lent, streamed on the RTÉ News Now channel, and it was great that the practice continued for the rest of the year – it was a wonderful facility for the housebound.

I’m not a Donald Trump fan, but a fan of having news and current affairs journalism as even handed as humanly practicable”

The US election was the other big story – building up to a frenzy in November. (The Irish election in February seems so long ago!) I found the media over here biased against Donald Trump, often less than subtly, but I was taken aback by the intensity of the bias on the US stations, on both sides, with CNN on the left and Fox News and Newsmax on the right. It’s no wonder US society seems so divided – they badly need a prominent and scrupulously neutral news channel.

After the election

It wasn’t great over here. I particularly didn’t like the bias on news programmes, which should be as objective and neutral as possible. And so we got all those claims by Mr Trump after the election tagged as ‘without evidence’ or ‘baseless claims’, a description not applied to the often dodgy claims of other politicians. The fact that most outlets, here and in Britain, adopted this practice was deeply suspicious. And do I need to say it again? I’m not a Donald Trump fan, but a fan of having news and current affairs journalism as even handed as humanly practicable.

So, what shows stood out for me this past year? Alex Fegan’s The Confessors (RTÉ and BBC) was a particularly good documentary about priests and Confession, and I’m looking forward to the feature length version. The more recent Hunger: The Story of the Irish Famine (RTÉ 1) was a comprehensive treatment of the topic, with a wide breadth of scholarship and an effective use of original sources. Unquiet Graves (RTÉ 1) packed quite a punch, telling the story of loyalist murder gangs during the Troubles. Nationwide (RTÉ One) focused on religious faith from time to time – I remember episodes on Kylemore Abbey and on lockdown faith in Co. Donegal. With assisted suicide becoming a hot topic I was glad to see Kevin Dunn’s film Fatal Flaws on EWTN in January – a must-see for anyone reflecting on the issue. Back in March Toras Cosnochta (RTÉ 1), broadcast on BBC as Oilithreacht was a most enjoyable documentary about the Lough Derg pilgrimage, where enthusiastic young people figured prominently. Dana, The Original Derry Girl (also BBC and RTÉ) was an entertaining and thought-provoking look at the singer-politician’s life. Priest School (BBC Two) was a cheerful and thoughtful exploration of the training of priests in the Scots College in Rome.

On the drama front Messiah (Netflix) was a strange imagining of a modern day guru – messiah or charlatan – a drama that intrigued but that seemed unwilling to stray beyond studied ambiguity. Also, on Netflix I Am Patrick was a well-made docudrama, best when it concentrated on original sources. The Split returned for a second series (BBC in March, RTÉ in November) and maintained its high standard of adult drama – mostly adult in a good sense. It didn’t suffer that much from the tendency to make so many dramas graphic, sleazy or insufferably woke. Quiz (ITV, April) was a one of the most riveting dramas, based around possible contestant cheating on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The Nest (BBC One) was a cautionary tale about the perils of surrogacy, while Belgravia (UTV) was an old-style costume drama with interesting themes of morality and redemption. The A-Word (BBC) returned for a third season and continued to provide a moving and often funny exploration of family life revolving around the challenge of a boy with autism. Mrs America (BBC Two, summer, RTÉ autumn) featured Cate Blanchet very intense as Phyllis Schlaffley, conservative campaigner in the USA. It was absorbing and sometimes even-handed but mostly skewed in favour of the feminist activists she crossed swords with.

Media landscape

There were several personnel changes in the media landscape during the year – I was sorry to see Sean O’Rourke retiring from his morning slot on RTÉ Radio One – his old-school professional journalism will be sorely missed. I enjoyed Sarah McInerney’s stint in that slot in the summer, and Claire Byrne is a logical replacement for the current season. Meanwhile, Sarah McInerney and Cormac Ó hEadhra make an enjoyable double act on Drivetime (RTÉ Radio One) with Mary Wilson moving from the latter show to Morning Ireland. Ivan Yates could be irritating but wasn’t overawed by any political correctness or agenda driving. He was replaced on The Hard Shoulder (Newstalk) by Kieran Cuddihy, light but cheerful and also mercifully free of axe grinding. I could say much the same about Andrea Gilligan on Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live show. The former incumbent Ciara Kelly, who wasn’t averse to agenda-driving or axe grinding has moved to Newstalk Breakfast pairing up with the always reliable Shane Coleman. Colm Flynn, moved on from the sadly discontinued Life and Soul (RTÉ 1), continues to get around – appearing on EWTN’s Vaticano and BBC World Service’s Heart and Soul.

I’m hoping for a much more normal and conventional year ahead. I’ll pass on upheavals.