VIRGIN MEDIA LAUNCHED its programme for the upcoming season of television at an event in Dublin’s Stella Cinema Rathmines on Wednesday.

The new slate includes a heavy focus on crime, with the return of action-drama The Guards for its first season in three years. In a snippet shown to press yesterday, the new season documents the activities of Gardaí in policing drug crimes in disadvantaged areas, as well as managing an increase in domestic violence callouts. 

Perhaps more controversially, the station will also air the docuseries Confessions of a Crime King, a documentary featuring new and exclusive interview footage with convicted crime lord John Gilligan, who says that he wants to “tell his side of the story”.

Gilligan was originally jailed for 28 years for the trafficking of commercial quantities of cannabis resin. This was reduced to 20 years on appeal. While in prison in 2002, Gilligan was tried and later acquitted of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin. 

The three-part series teases a revealing look at Gilligan’s activities in his own words, with the mobster telling his interviewer that Gilligan believes he’s going to hell. The first episode of the series will air on 4 September.

Having since faced arrest in Spain and survived attempts on his life, Gilligan’s reputation remains that of one of the most notorious criminals in the history of the state.

Other documentaries offered include Born Too Soon, which follows the stories of several families whose babies were born prematurely at the neo-natal ward in Cork University Hospital, To Die For: Cosmetic Surgery in Turkey, and Faith & Courage: The Sinéad O’Connor Story.

One offering likely to generate plenty of discussion is the five-episode series Grá ar an Trá, which is essentially the Gaeilgeoir answer to Love Island. The show pairs up ten singletons in couples where one partner has fluent Irish and the other has just a cúpla focal.

The format of the show will be different to Love Island. There is no public vote, instead, cinnire Gráinne Seoige will decide which couples stay and which couples go based on how much progress they’re making with their cuid Gaeilge. 

Speaking to The Journal, co-host James Kavanagh said: “I watch Love Island, I always think it’s a bit put-on, the emotions and the jealousy. On Grá ar an Trá, two days in, the contestants were bawling. They’re not actresses or actors, they’re real, normal Irish people.”

“The show is 30% as Gaeilge and will be subtitled so everyone can understand it. It’s just to encourage people. Sometimes there’s snobbery around languages if you don’t speak them flawlessly but this is all about revitalising it.” The winning couple will walk away with €10,000 in cash.

Virgin Media Sport boasts the rights to many of the games of the upcoming Rugby World Cup which kicks off next month – including Ireland’s group games against Romania and Scotland. Also among the Virgin Media Sport slate is coverage of the UEFA Champions League, Euro 2024 Qualifiers and the SSE Airtricity Premier Division.

No major changes were announced to the station’s major staples, such as Ireland AM, which will continue in the same format and with the same hosts. Goggle Box Ireland will return for its ninth season, as well as Living With Lucy — who this year will find herself bunking in with the likes of model and media personality, Katie Price, sports broadcaster Des Cahill, Coronation Street star Simon Gregson, comedian Andrew Maxwell, and former footballer turned pundit and psychologist Richard Sadlier.

Similarly current affairs programmes The Group Chat and The Tonight Show will return in their familiar form.

On the drama front, Virgin Media will broadcast the timely ITV drama Litvinenko – telling the infamous story of a Russian intelligence defector Alexander Litvinenko who was infamously poisoned to death in London in 2006, as well the series The Long Shadow, about Peter Sutcliffe, also known as the Yorkshire Ripper.

Speaking today Anthony Nilan, Head of Content Strategy at Virgin Media Television said: “Public service broadcasting remains at the heart of Virgin Media Television and this season reflects our continuing commitment to deliver informative, engaging and entertaining content to our viewers nationwide.”