Reeling in the Years
Reeling in the Years | |
---|---|
Genre | History |
Opening theme | "Reelin' In the Years" |
Country of origin | Ireland |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 5 |
No. of episodes | 48 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | John O'Regan |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | RTÉ One |
Picture format | PAL |
Original release |
1999 – present (No more episodes expected until 2020) |
External links | |
Website |
Reeling in the Years is a television series shown on RTÉ.
Each episode, running for about 25 minutes, reviews the events of a particular selected year, from 1962 to 2009. News archive footage features, along with subtitles as the means of narration, to recount important national and international events of the time. Music from the selected year plays across the footage, with occasional scenes of live performances or music videos, often (but by no means exclusively) by an Irish artist. No advertisements are shown during the broadcast (apart from the occasional old advertisement dating from the relevant year). Each decade takes at least eight months to make.[1]
The theme tune for the series comes from Steely Dan's 1972 hit "Reelin' In the Years". All five series are marked by a knowing attitude, where certain stories that seemed inconsequential at the time are remembered because they have taken on significance in the present day. This has gained the programme a reputation for being very funny. An example is seen in the 1987 episode: Taoiseach Charles Haughey discusses what he would do if he were to win money in the newly formed National Lottery. Haughey, whose lavish lifestyle was later revealed to have been funded by "donations" from businessmen, exclaims, "I might keep a bit for myself!".
A 2008 poll (conducted by the RTÉ Guide) of Ireland's Top 100 television programmes resulted in Reeling in the Years being voted "most popular home-produced TV programme ever".[2] In 2008, a DVD—Reeling in the 80s—was released for the Irish market—with follow-up DVDs Reeling in the 90s and Reeling in the 70s released in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Episode list
Original series
The original series focused on the 1980s and first aired in (September 6th- November 8th 1999).
Year | Music |
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Abba, Bagatelle, Boomtown Rats, Blondie, The Clash, T.R. Dallas, John Lennon, Johnny Logan, The Nolans, Queen, Brendan Shine, Split Enz, U2, Dennis Waterman | |
Big Tom, The Blades, The Boomtown Rats, Phil Collins, Joe Dolan, Electric Light Orchestra, Foster and Allen, The Fureys and Davey Arthur, New Order, OMD, The Police, Queen/David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, The Undertones | |
Irene Cara, Clannad, The Clash, De Danann, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Dire Straits, Fun Boy Three, The Human League, Phil Lynott, Madness, Tears for Fears, Tight Fit, Yazoo | |
Bananarama, The Clash, David Bowie, Elton John, Eurythmics, Madness, Michael Jackson, Howard Jones, Phil Lynott, Christy Moore, New Order, Paddy Reilly, Van Morrison, Paul Young | |
Band Aid, Eurythmics, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Howard Jones, Madonna, Nik Kershaw, Cyndi Lauper, John Lennon, The Smiths, Talk Talk, Tears for Fears, U2, Wham! | |
Paul Brady, The Concerned, The Cure, Eurythmics, Nik Kershaw, Feargal Sharkey, Simple Minds, The Smiths, Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, U2 | |
Mary Black, Bon Jovi, Chris de Burgh, Dire Straits, The Housemartins, Dermot Morgan, Billy Ocean, Simply Red, The Waterboys, Wham! | |
Rick Astley, Crowded House, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Daniel O'Donnell/Dana, Johnny Logan, M/A/R/R/S, MicroDisney, New Order, The Pogues, U2, Wet Wet Wet | |
The Adventures, Aslan, Belinda Carlisle, Celine Dion, Enya, Whitney Houston, Bobby McFerrin, Kylie Minogue, Morrissey, Sinéad O'Connor, The Pogues, The Primitives, ROI Soccer Squad, U2 | |
The 4 of Us, Mary Black, Black Box, Boy Meets Girl, Cher, Guns N' Roses, Billy Joel, The Stone Roses, U2, Van Morrison |
Second series
The second series focused on the 1990s and first aired in (September 11th- November 27th 2000).
Year | Music |
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The B-52's, The Charlatans, Jack Charlton/Ireland national football team, EMF, Enigma, The La's, Happy Mondays, Liam Harrison/Goal celebrities, Kylie Minogue, Luciano Pavarotti, The Sawdoctors, Sinéad O'Connor, Something Happens | |
Bryan Adams, The Big Geraniums, Blur, Color Me Badd, Enya, Extreme, Chesney Hawkes, Michael Jackson, James, Lenny Kravitz, The Mock Turtles, R.E.M., U2, The Wonderstuff | |
Tamsin Archer, Charles & Eddie, Daniel O'Donnell, Whitney Houston, The Lightning Seeds, Linda Martin, Opus III, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Secada, The Shamen, Stereo MCs, The Sultans of Ping FC, U2 | |
The Beloved, Björk/David Arnold, Garth Brooks, The Cranberries, The Frank and Walters, Four Non Blondes, Gabrielle, House of Pain, Niamh Kavanagh, Pet Shop Boys, Take That | |
A House, Boyzone, The Cranberries, Crowded House, Deep Forest, Paul Harrington/Charlie McGettigan, Oasis, Perez 'Prez' Prado, R.E.M., Shampoo, Bill Whelan/Anúna/RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Whigfield | |
Blur, Boyzone, Bobby Brown, The Corrs, McAlmont and Butler, Massive Attack, Oasis, Secret Garden, Sinéad O'Connor/Shane MacGowan, Take That | |
Ash, Blur, Dodgy, Gina G, Richie Kavanagh, Manic Street Preachers, Alanis Morrissette, Eimear Quinn, Radiohead, Spice Girls, Suede | |
All Saints, Boyzone, The Corrs, Hanson, Katrina and the Waves, OTT, Spice Girls, Texas, U2, The Verve | |
B*Witched, The Cardigans, Catatonia, The Corrs, Jay-Z, Manic Street Preachers, Massive Attack, George Michael, Spice Girls, U2 | |
Basement Jaxx, B*Witched, The Cardigans, Fat Boy Slim, Lauryn Hill, Ronan Keating, Britney Spears, Stereophonics, Westlife |
Third series
The third series focused on the 1970s and first aired in (September 10th- November 12th 2002).
Year | Music |
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The Beatles, Blue Mink, Canned Heat, Dana, Desmond Dekker and the Aces, The Emeralds, Marmalade, Norman Greenbaum, The Jackson Five, Edison Lighthouse, Elvis Presley, Poppy Family, James Taylor | |
Lynn Anderson, Angela Farrell, Curtis Mayfield, Middle of the Road, The Moody Blues, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Clodagh Rogers, Severine, Simon and Garfunkel, The Sweet, T. Rex, The Who | |
Roberta Flack, Michael Jackson, Johnny Nash, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Slade, Timmy Thomas, Jackie Wilson, Neil Young | |
The Carpenters, Dawn, The Detroit Emeralds, Elton John, Horslips, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Stealers Wheel, The Sweet, Thin Lizzy, T. Rex | |
Abba, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Ken Boothe, Rory Gallagher, The Hollies, Tony Kenny, New Seekers, Status Quo, The Three Degrees, Barry White, | |
10cc, Abba, Dana, David Essex, KC And The Sunshine Band, Fran O'Toole, Queen, The Swarbriggs, The Sweet | |
Abba, The Bellamy Brothers, Brotherhood of Man, The Eagles, Hot Chocolate, Horslips, Billy Ocean, Red Hurley, Sutherland Brothers/Quiver, Thin Lizzy | |
The Boomtown Rats, Boney M, Gladys Knight/Pips, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Ocean, Elvis Presley, Sex Pistols, Status Quo, Rod Stewart, Thin Lizzy | |
Blue Öyster Cult, Boney M, The Boomtown Rats, Chic, Electric Light Orchestra, Yvonne Elliman, Genesis, Gloria, The Jacksons, U2 (previously The Hype), The Undertones | |
M, Police, Boomtown Rats, Michael Jackson, Art Garfunkel, Madness, The Village People, Brendan Shine, Blondie & John Williams |
Fourth series
The fourth series focused on the 1960s (1962 to 1969 only) and first aired in (September 10th- October 29th 2004). It features neither 1960 nor 1961 as these pre-date the official launch of Telefís Éireann, the television arm of the national broadcaster. It was felt, presumably, that there would be too little archive material from which to make an engaging programme about these years. Indeed, the episodes covering the first half of the 1960s are characterised by extensive use of photographs and posters, as opposed to film and video footage, to represent various historical events.
Fifth series
The fifth series focused on the 2000s and first aired in (October 17th- December 26th 2010).
Year | Music |
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Blink 182, Chicane, The Corrs, 5ive, Ronan Keating, Toploader, U2, Westlife, Mark McCabe | |
Ash, Emma Bunton, David Gray, Ronan Keating, David Kitt, Samantha Mumba, Radiohead, Texas, U2 | |
Coldplay, Elvis vs JXL, Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club, Avril Lavigne, Kylie Minogue, Pink, Electric Six, Sugababes, Westlife | |
Paddy Casey, Coldplay, The Darkness, Mickey Joe Harte, Jamelia, Junior Senior, Mis-Teeq, The Thrills, Will Young | |
Anastacia, The Black Eyed Peas, Counting Crows, Keane, Natural Gas, O-Zone, OutKast, Snow Patrol, U2 | |
Caesars, Katie Melua, Moby, Daniel Powter, Stereophonics, KT Tunstall, U2 | |
Bell X1, Gemma Hayes, Gnarls Barkley, Peter Bjorn and John, Pat Shortt, Snow Patrol, Sugababes, Will Young | |
Duke Special, Fergie, Girls Aloud, The Killers, Klaxons, Mika, Razorlight, Robyn, Sugababes, Timbaland feat. OneRepublic, | |
Alphabeat, Coldplay, Dustin the Turkey, Elbow, Glen Hansard/Markéta Irglová, Iglu & Hartley, Mundy/Sharon Shannon, Katy Perry, Republic of Loose feat. Isabella Reyes-Feeney, Sam Sparro, The Script, Jordin Sparks | |
The Black Eyed Peas, The Coronas, Florence + the Machine, Lisa Hannigan, Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, La Roux, Temper Trap, Westlife |
Sixth series
The series covering the 2010s is not expected to be broadcast until 2020.
Copyright and DVD release
In the past, RTÉ had said that, because of the number of clips from external companies used in the series, it would be infeasible to release it on VHS or DVD. It claimed that securing "video clearance" for each clip and song would make any release prohibitively expensive. RTÉ did consider releasing an altered version of the programme which would only contain the images and music that they owned the rights to, but that "the programme would only be half as good then, it wouldn't be anything like the shows that went out on air, and we'd end up disappointing people."[43]
However, in October 2008, RTÉ announced that they would be releasing a DVD of a cut-down version of the 1980s material. Reeling in the 80s[2] is an altered version of the programme which contains only the images and music that the producers were able to secure rights to, and it runs to about 150 minutes (versus 240 minutes for the original series).[2][44] It does, however, contain some original material that has been unearthed since 1999, and which has greater significance now, such as footage of former Prime Minister Brian Cowen.
Reeling in the 90s was released on 13 November 2009,[1] while Reeling in the 70s was released in November 2010.
The Reeling in the decades Boxset was released in 2011 which collected the 70s, 80s and 90s DVDs in one boxset.
DVD discography
- Reeling in the 80s (2008)
- Reeling in the 90s (2009)
- Reeling in the 70s (2010)
- Reeling in the 60s could be released in November 2015 or 2016
Legacy
In recent years, Reeling in the Years has been used regularly by RTÉ One as a filler programme during the spring months all the way through to the Christmas period. It currently is shown at 6:30 on Sunday evenings. This has led to some interesting parallels with real-life events. When Cian O'Connor won his bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, RTÉ showed the 2004 episode of Reeling in the Years, complete with Anne Doyle's announcement that O'Connor was to be stripped of his gold medal won at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The next day RTÉ showed the 2005 episode of Reeling in the Years, complete with the announcement that London had secured the 2012 Summer Olympics with then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair reacting by saying what a momentous day it was for Britain, followed by footage of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, which occurred the following day.
A website ranked editions of Reeling in the Years in order of the "most and least depressing" – least were 1994, 2004 and 2007; most were 1981, 1986 and 2008.[45]
Foreign versions
The Spanish version of Reeling in the Years (LOS AÑOS DEL NO-DO) began airing in 2013 and is produced by the Spanish state-controlled television and radio broadcaster RTVE.[46] The word "No-Do" is a shortened name for Noticiarios y Documentales (News and Documentaries). Following the same format of Reeling in the Years, LOS AÑOS DEL NO-DO encompases the years from 1943 to 1981. It has been associated containing propaganda to support the Spanish Dictator Franco who ruled Spain from 1936 to 1975.
See also
- RTÉ Libraries and Archives, from which much footage is taken
- Timeline of Irish history
- The Rock 'n' Roll Years, the producer's inspiration for Reeling in the Years[47]
References
- 1 2 "New Reeling in the Years DVD out today". RTÉ. 13 November 2009. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- 1 2 3 "Reeling in the Years comes to DVD". RTÉ. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
- ↑ "1980". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1981". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1982". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1983". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1984". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1985". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1986". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1987". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1988". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1989". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1990". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1991". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1992". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1993". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1994". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1995". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1996". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1997". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1998". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1999". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1970". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1971". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1972". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1973". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1974". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1975". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1976". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1977". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1978". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "1979". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2000". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2001". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2002". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2003". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2004". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2005". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2006". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2007". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2008". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "2009". Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
- ↑ "Frequently asked questions (old version)". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008.
- ↑ "Frequently asked questions". RTÉ.
- ↑ Neville, Conor (22 August 2014). "Ranking The Reeling In The Years Episodes In Order Of The Most And Least Depressing". Archived from the original on 14 May 2015.
- ↑ "Los años del NO-DO". RTVE.
- ↑ "'It's impossible now to view the decade past without regret'". The Irish Times. 9 October 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Reeling in the Years at the Internet Movie Database
- "'It's impossible now to view the decade past without regret'" – interview with series producer John O'Regan. The Irish Times, 9 October 2010.
- Here Come the Good Times: Reeling in the Years as History, Cheap Trick Zine, 18 August 2016.