Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh reflects on what could be the end of a uniquely Irish era of creativity, and tells RTÉ to stop being such a grinch.
On November 3rd 2016, RTÉ announced it was to stop producing children’s programming in-house. No more awkward Den or RTÉ Jr. presenters getting their first taste of fame before moving onto The Voice of Ireland. What happens to the happy birthday song? In an outsourcing scheme aimed at keeping RTÉ within budget, a sector of programming and its staff face the cut at Christmas time.
As TV fans, we are all perpetually in mourning. Your favourite series don’t get renewed. HBO kills off that one character you care about. It is rare however, that a country can collectively come together to mourn the passing of an entire sector of national television. Take a moment, breathe, then face the surprise — the killer is RTÉ? Although The Den was axed in 2010, RTÉ Jr. and TRTÉ were still trying their damn best to maintain the tradition of iconically low-budget Irish children’s TV.
Sometime in the late 80’s or early 90’s, a young member of the Ceallaigh clan was queuing up to meet a real-life celebrity. Bosco may have been an RTÉ puppet, but they were a five-star celebrity nonetheless for Irish children nationwide. Bosco and their box even came all the way over the border to visit Andersonstown Leisure Centre in West Belfast. It was here, my brother would later learn, that he first met his future wife. Both were primary schoolers enthralled by RTÉ children’s programming; they had even learned their ‘cúpla focail’ from Bosco.
Everyone in my brother’s generation has a story like this. The number decreases when you talk to my generation of late 90’s kids — did anyone else love Soky and Dustin as much as I did? Today, I can’t imagine a homegrown Irish character ever receiving the same traction or love as Bosco, Soky or Dustin did. With the normalisation of global streaming services and the 24/7 availability of recorded Satellite TV and youth-focused TV channels, it became hard for RTÉ to compete. However it is a mandated purpose of RTÉ to try; a point RTÉ that have seemingly ignored. Thankfully trade unions have pledged to ensure that “the public service ethos of the broadcaster is safeguarded.” Kids might just have a voice in these upcoming meetings and discussions after all.
Speaking to her student Jack Maguire, co-director of Trinity’s M.Phil in Children’s Literature Dr. Jane Carroll addressed the importance of TV as a source of role models for young Irish children. “The Den was normalising particular accents” said Dr Carroll. “It’s important for children to see themselves on TV, and in the media in general. They need to see their own lives and situations reflected back to them. They’re given meaning by seeing that there’s people like them.”
Sadhbh Kellet and Ellen Kissane, current Junior Sophister students of English, echoed Dr Carroll’s sentiment, expressing a growing anger at the lack of opportunity for public input on this issue. “It’s a shame and a disgrace that we didn’t know and we’re never once asked” said Sadhbh, who had learnt of the news moments earlier. “Irish culture and Irish language is unique and should be celebrated. Irish children should see themselves on TV and feel proud.” Both Sadhbh and Ellen felt that the possibility of overlooking a homegrown, independent sector could affect future generations. “What children see on TV is something to aspire to. We shouldn’t imbue the new generation with an idea that the way they talk is not okay because it’s not what they hear on RTÉ. We have so much talent here. We are an island with a wealth of culture that should be on display.”
The unexpected possibility of the privatisation of RTÉ Children’s Programming did seem to slide under the radar of college students. When asked, few had heard about it. One or two were unsure what it would even mean for the broadcaster or the people RTÉ employs. As college students, the majority of us are young adults and past the point of even thinking about The Den. Yet with courses in IADT and DIT aimed firmly at multi-media diplomas and degrees, a large portion of students would consider broadcasting a viable career choice. Yet, like its British counterpart BBC, children’s and young people’s programming is the gateway to TV presenting gigs. Many of RTÉ’s prime time radio and TV presenters, such as Ray D’Arcy and Damien McCaul, got their start in children’s TV. It’s the bottom rung of a career ladder that works due to in-house, interdepartmental relationships. Outsource children’s programming, and the possibility of such a career progression shrinks. With members of RTÉ’s Children and Young People’s Programming visiting Trinity to talk to prospective Film Studies graduates about the industry just over a month ago, the outsourcing decision, and its subsequent effects on job prospects, is a difficult pill to swallow for those wishing to enter the industry.
From talking to people, it seems the majority of the general public genuinely don’t care about the legacy of RTÉ children’s programming. Maybe this is why RTÉ felt OK about seriously considering cutting it. However the people who do care don’t have a voice. Speak up for future generations of Irish kids who currently don’t have a say; they’re your brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. Allow them to have the same hilarious Morpegs and Bosco experiences as you did; distinctly Irish memories that you will carry with you always. Tell RTÉ that you say no to the privatisation of Irish children’s programming.
At the time of print, RTÉ has stated that eight staff will remain in the young people’s department, 11 staff will be reassigned within RTÉ and 15 independent contractors will have their contracts ended. Discussions are set to continue.
BOSCO’S VERDICT
Bosco, the infamous red haired puppet was an RTÉ children’s staple from 1979 to 1987 yet proved so influential repeats of Bosco’s Box ran right into the mid ‘90s. Speaking to Tn2, Bosco wasn’t the rosy cheeked youngster we remember from youth, but a confident voice of reason. Paula Lambert, Bosco’s puppeteer spoke of the privatisation of children’s programmes as a “crying shame”. Paula, Bosco and I sat down for a nice Sunday chat over tea to discuss why in-house children’s programming was viewed as disposable for a national broadcaster. Bosco also expressed concern for those young pups interested in pursuing a career in Irish broadcasting.
“It was a bolt out of the blue,” Bosco said. “And right before Christmas? All of a sudden a large sector of people went into work to find out their jobs were up in the air,” Bosco sighed, lamenting RTÉ’s disposable view of people who have been working exceptionally hard on a “shoestring budget” over the years.“Only 4% of RTÉ revenue is spent on in-house children’s programming. It’s been described many times as ‘the jewel in the crown of RTÉ’ and that’s because of how imaginative the team would have to be to produce content on such a tiny budget. They never got any more funding. How could it make such a difference to cut it? You can see it now, RTÉ had students in on work experience for The Late Late Toy Show designing props and sets. They weren’t getting paid and they most certainly won’t get a job out of it. When did this happen? When did this become the norm? How did unpaid professional work just creep into our society?”
Bosco and Paula took time to highlight the success of the campaign against the decision. They informed us that we shouldn’t expect discussions and decisions now until after Christmas.“That’s what we need to do,” said Paula and Bosco. “It works! We need to challenge these inequalities so they don’t become just another norm in Irish society. RTÉ is a public service and therefore must be held accountable and serve every member of the public. This includes kids and providing appropriate Irish programming for Irish children. This simply cannot be assured if programming is outsourced and privatised.”
Journal.ie has confirmed that RTÉ have indeed pushed back the official decision on in-house Children’s Programming due to trade union and media backlash. The deadline for these discussions is now the 31st of January 2017. Bosco and Paula are hoping the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Minister for Arts will get behind the movement. A movement that will hopefully be a service that used to be the pièce de résistance of RTÉ programming.
DEN MEMORIES
Loughlin Lavery
“There was a red doll in the tree in The Morbegs. It used to freak the shit out of me. Looked it up recently [takes out phone] And do you remember that other show that was on the Den, it was called International Exchange. It had the portal underneath the floor? I’d say we all got pretty messed up because of that and Courage the Cowardly Dog.”
Glen Byrne
“I was on the Den twice actually. I did not cry both times; only the first. The first time I was on the Den, it was my 7th Birthday, on something that used to be called The Den’s Disney Channel. We’d be there during the interlude between the TV shows that were on during the day. There were prizes and this one competition was a quiz. The question had something to do with outer space. Which is bigger mars or jupiter or something like that. I didn’t know the answer so I didn’t win the competition so I got upset. It was live. They gave me the prize anyway as well as the person who got the answer right. It was real awkward for the presenter. You don’t forget scarring experiences easily. The prize was shit. People didn’t make fun of me for it because I was 7; crying and being on The Den were pretty normal then. The second time I was on The Den, I was 15. It was part of their show leaning towards pre-teens. I had this business project in school, I made a comic book out of the Ross O’Carroll Kelly books. They asked me on to talk a little more about it. It was essentially plugging, not as upsetting or scarring as the first one. Although my first time didn’t put me off it, it was still terrifying. It was live TV again except this time I was 15 and past the point of watching The Den. My friends were putting screenshots on Faebook like ‘My mam saw you on TV’. Probably a grand total of 15 minutes of fame. A more lasting memory of The Den and RTÉ kids TV than most. Still, I wouldn’t recommend crying on live TV.”
Michelle Nicolaou
“Once a year when I was in Ireland, I got to watch Bear in the Big Blue House. You guys were spoilt in Ireland.”
Dr Jane Carroll
“My memories of ‘The Den’? Oh my god I guess this will really show my age. I can remember Mary Robinson being on it and they had this surreal thing where she was being interviewed by puppets. She appeared on Zig & Zag in 1990, ahead of her inauguration. Robinson said ‘they thought women couldn’t stand for president, but we’ve put that right’. Social equality in the middle of cartoons. Obviously it made some kind of impact if that’s what I remember most from The Den, oddly. I’m unsure if now, without that platform, there will ever be an opportunity for children to engage with real life political figures. All while they’re being interviewed by Zig & Zag and thinking that it is totally normal.”
Seamus Ó hAoláian
“Soky made me feel welcome but when Dustin appeared I hid under the chair. He had a big scary beak. He wasn’t very attractive.”
Tamsin Martin & Jenny Johnston
“The best? Probably Dustin and Socky. Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Oh my God, they even had The Sleepover Club!”
