TV show recalls the scandals that shaped our nation

A TV series that documents some of the scandals that beset Irish life in the second-half of the 20th century was always going to have legs.

Even so, when Scannal was launched 20 years ago this month, few would have thought it would still be around in 2024 - and still coming up with fresh scandals about the nation.

To mark the anniversary, there will be three special hour-long episodes of Scannal 20 Bliain, on successive nights, starting on RTÉ1 on Monday at 6.30pm, looking back at some of the stories which have shocked, appalled, entertained or outraged the nation.

From Pee Flynn’s ill-fated Late Late Show interview to Thierry Henry’s hand-ball horror, from the tragic deaths of Ann Lovett and her baby son in a grotto in Granard and to the Lansdowne Road riot, over 20 years this popular series has examined the impact of major events on the individuals, families and communities at the heart of them – and on us as a nation.

Future episodes of the new three-part series will be called Only A Woman and Own Goals, and will explore the lives and legacies of Ann Lovett and Joanne Hayes, and sporting scandals down the decades, respectively.

The first episode on Monday is called Breakdown and will look at how, throughout history, false information has been used to manipulate public opinion, control narratives, and influence events.

It will cast a wry, 2024 eye over some of the bluster and bloopers that riveted the nation and damaged many a reputation.

From the “mature recollection” debacle that changed the course of Irish Presidential history, to Pee Flynn’s fateful Three Houses interview, from the whodunnit story of the Late Late Show restoration scandal to one of Irish radio’s most cringeworthy interviews, it examines the theme of truth, lies and bluffers and how social media has changed the rules for us all.

The episode will be presented and narrated by Garry Mac Donncha, with contributions and analysis from Drivetime’s Cormac Ó hEadhra, journalist Caoimhe Ní Chathail, RTÉ’s Arts and Media Correspondent Evelyn O’Rourke and actor and arts legend Páraic Breathnach,

Scannal has been consistently ahead of its time in examining seminal moments in our recent history; many of the stories the team has covered over two decades have continued to evolve and many others still continue to impact us to this day.

This series aims to capture a few of those very Irish scandals.