Ivan Yates, Sarah McInerney, Matt Cooper, Colette Fitzpatrick, Claire Brock and Pat Kenny at today's launch. Brian McEvoy Brian McEvoy

Updated at 4.50pm

TV3 UNVEILED ITS schedule for the new autumn/winter season at the National Concert Hall in Dublin this afternoon.

The Ballymount broadcaster returned to the high-end venue for the second year in a row – putting on an expensive looking launch event for press and advertisers helmed by comedian Al Porter.

Ivan Yates and Matt Cooper, who will jointly take over from Vincent Browne in the ‘Tonight’ slot three nights a week, joined Porter to confirm news of the worst-kept secret in Irish media.

Pat Kenny, who will present the newly-titled Pat Kenny Show (formerly Pat Kenny Tonight) on Wednesdays, spoke about “the Varadkar factor” (sadly, not a new talent show) and how he expected it to influence the Irish political landscape in the coming Dáil term.

The actual Denise Van Outen also graced Porter’s sofa to talk about her role on the judging panel of Ireland’s Got Talent. An Irish spin on the popular format will hit screens in the coming months. Jason Byrne, Louis Walsh and US TV personality Michelle Visage will join Van Outen on the panel.

Lucy Kennedy will present the talent show, it was confirmed. Al Porter noted in his preamble to the event that “some of the shows, in fact, are not presented by Lucy Kennedy”.

Here are some of the shows TV3 is touting as highlights for the new season – broken down into categories and in no particular order of importance:

News and Current Affairs 

• The Tonight Show: Ivan and Matt take over the show formerly known as Vincent Browne Tonight. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11pm. Mario Rosenstock will join them on Thursdays too. The Twitter Machine will also return, Matt Cooper assured us.
• The Pat Kenny Show: Pat and his all-important live studio audience return. Wednesdays at 10pm.

• The Sunday Show: Sarah McInerney of Newstalk will helm a political show each weekend. TV3′s new political correspondent Gavan Reilly will be a regular contributor.
• David McWilliams: The broadcaster will front a studio series which TV3 says will be “exploring the big issues facing our society and economy”. He’ll also present a new documentary ‘Back to the Future’ which will examine if we’re heading for a new property bubble.
• Documentaries: The station will be airing a number of interesting-looking documentaries. One will focus on the Midlands Prison Campus, another of the highlights will examine how the population of Syrian refugees is settling in in the Roscommon town of Balaghadreen – and Vincent Browne is also scheduled to return to our screens with a series on the life of Gerry Adams.

TV3′s staff reporters and presenters, meanwhile, will be staying classy with a new-look news studio, which has been constructed to replace the old set and newsroom over the last few months.

Entertainment

Ireland’s Got Talent: You know the drill with this one. Lucy Kennedy presents the Irish version. Louis Walsh, Denise Van Outen and Michelle Visage will be on the panel, alongside comedian Jason Byrne.

Blind Date: Al Porter fronts the format made popular by Cilla Black on Saturday evenings way back when.

Living With Lucy: The omni-present TV3 host is off to spend some time in Katie Hopkins’ house this weekend. Micheal Healy-Rae also features.

Gogglebox Ireland and The Restaurant also return, while Neville Knott and Laurence Llewelyn Bowen will front an interior design show called Showhouse Showdown (put this one in the ‘property porn’ category).

Drama

Darklands: Aiming to fill the Love/Hate shaped hole in the TV schedules, Darklands is a crime drama “set amidst a gang war in Dublin’s inner city”.

Smalltown: The Irish drama, which stars Pat Shortt, returns for a second outing. The new series focuses on Shortt’s character Tom. “We will intimately and hilariously go on his journey as he makes some major changes in his life,” the press material says.

The Bailout: The Brian Cowen administration gets the West Wing treatment (in a way). Here’s how TV3 describes it: “From the makers of ‘The Guarantee’, ‘The Bailout’ is a two-part drama series that tells the story of Ireland’s government, led by Brian Cowen, as it desperately tried to avoid handing over governance of the economy to outsiders.” 

On the sports front, Ronan O’Gara is to join the broadcaster’s rugby panel in the new year. TV3 won exclusive rights to the Six Nations from 2018. More details over at our sister site The42.ie. 

Related: Ivan Yates and Matt Cooper will be taking over from Vincent Browne >

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