NEW IRISH DRAMAS, original crime documentaries and live sport are among some of the things included in Virgin Media Television’s new autumn schedule.

The broadcaster announced the new lineup of programmes today, including a drama based on Graham Norton’s book Holding and a docu-series that looks at the issue of domestic abuse in Ireland.

Director of content at Virgin Media Television Bill Malone said that 2022 has been “a stand-out year” for the broadcaster, with the station seeing “record streaming figures” for the Virgin Media Player and the launch of new channel Virgin Media Four.

“Our new season schedule promises to continue this success with more Irish drama, more gripping documentaries, more Love Island, the Super Bowl live and a whole host of new series,” he said.

Among the new dramas announced by the broadcaster is Holding, a series based on the best-selling novel by Graham Norton, which will launch on Virgin Media One on 12 September. 

The series was filmed in Cork and stars Oscar-winner Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) and  Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones). The ITV-made drama was previously shown on Virgin Media More but is now coming to the flagship channel. 

New six-part series The Vanishing Triangle, inspired by the true events of the 1990s that saw a number of women in the east of the country vanish without trace, will also be broadcast.

Faithless, a new comedy drama series co-written by and starring Baz Ashmawy, also features alongside a number of international dramas, including new detective series Ridley, starring Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar, and The Suspect, a thriller series starring Aidan Turner (Poldark).

Several new Irish documentaries will be shown on the station this season, including Until Death, a docu-series that investigates the issue of domestic abuse and femicide in Ireland and explores if things are getting worse. 

A Dublin Murder will focus on the killing of Rachel O’Reilly by her husband in 2004, while a new documentary on Graham Dwyer will explore how the Dublin architect was jailed for life for the murder of Elaine O’Hara. 

Six Bullets Fired will also be shown, which examines the death of George Nkencho, who was shot six times by armed Gardaí outside his family home in December 2020.

The Guards will also return this autumn, alongside brand-new series Lucy Investigates, which will see Lucy Kennedy explore some of the country’s subcultures.

A new six-part property show How To Buy A Home, fronted by Liz O’Kane and Michael Fry, will document the realities Irish people face in the search for a home.

As he prepares to end his stadium world tour with five nights in Croke Park this month, Garth Brooks: Coming Home will look at the country star’s special relationship with Ireland.

The Virgin Media News’ trio Richard Chambers, Gavan Reilly and Zara King will front a new series, The Group Chat, where they will discuss the stories making the headlines. This will air every Thursday night on Virgin Media Two starting from tomorrow. 

In sport, Virgin Media will broadcast live coverage of the Super Bowl for the first time as well as the NFL.

The Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League will all return, while the Nations League and Euro 2024 qualifiers will also keep football fans entertained. 

Rugby fans can catch the Guinness Six Nations, the TikTok Women’s Six Nations and the Under 20s tournament live across Virgin Media Television. The Cheltenham and Aintree racing festivals will also feature.

A winter and summer series of Love Island will also be back, as well as I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in November.