Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
This New Year, RT brings an exciting range of new programmes to keep audiences entertained, informed, and intrigued as we ease into 2026 and look ahead to spring. RT will have distinctively Irish entertainment and brand-new, home-grown drama, alongside nail-biting sporting moments that will bring the nation together through RT 's free-to-air sport. There are new documentaries and live specials across television and radio, with something for everyone from your Public Service Media this New Year.
On RT One and RT Player, the inimitable Tommy Tiernan is back with a brand-new series of The Tommy Tiernan Show, running for sixteen Saturday nights from 3 January. Now in its tenth series, Tommy will once again come face-to-face with guests, totally unprepared and without prior knowledge of who is coming on the show. As ever, Tommy delivers masterful and insightful conversations with whoever is in front of him.
Family favourite Dancing with the Stars kicks off from Sunday 4 January for its ninth season, with brand-new Head Judge Oti Mabuse bringing even more glitter and glam. This season features familiar faces including Niamh Kavanagh, Paudie Moloney and Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins among others, all taking to the dancefloor in the hopes of winning the coveted glitterball trophy. Presented by Jennifer Zamparelli and new addition Laura Fox, who is filling in for Doireann Garrihy while she is on leave, this year will bring some big surprises with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Following on from The Late Late New Year's Eve Special on 31 December, Patrick Kielty returns with The Late Late Show on Friday 9 January 2026, with the very first Late Late Show Trad Special. In the first-ever full show dedicated to Irish traditional music, viewers can expect a session to end all sessions. Join Patrick and a host of Ireland's finest musicians, international special guests, and one legendary performer who will be inducted into the Late Late Show Trad Hall of Fame. Live and full of surprises, spend your Friday nights with Patrick on RT One and RT Player from 9:35pm.
This New Year sees Room to Improve's Dermot Bannon take on homes of every scale and condition, helping families looking to downsize, upsize, or find the right size for their next chapter. Starting on Sunday 4 January, Dermot's signature architectural vision once again goes head-to-head with quantity surveyor Claire Irwin's pragmatism. In this new series, there are untouched time capsules and clever urban redesigns, including a 1990s three-bed semi-detached home in West Dublin, a bungalow bliss home in Co. Meath, a spacious four-bed family home in Raheny in need of major reimagining, and a compact terraced house with big ambition in Harmonstown. There's sure to be bold designs, high expectations, last-minute changes, and plenty of emotion - especially from Dermot.
A new series of On the Beat is arriving on screens this January. This docuseries gives unprecedented access to the work of An Garda S och na across Ireland. Filmed over six months, and airing on Monday 5 January, the series goes behind the front desks, inside the control centres, and on the beat with Garda in Limerick, Monaghan, and Waterford to give an insight into policing across urban and rural Ireland.
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital airs on Wednesday 7 January at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player, a powerful new six-part documentary series that goes beyond the headlines and behind the scenes of one of Ireland's biggest and busiest hospitals. This landmark observational series offers access inside Cork University Hospital (CUH), capturing the round the clock shifts of the thousands of professionals who work tirelessly to deliver care. Through staff stories and patient journeys, Any Given Day tells a story of a health service in action.
High Road, Low Road is back in January, taking over Europe and beyond. From the snowy mountains of Austria to the sunny shores of Cape Town, we will see Irish celebrities heading to the most unforgettable destinations. Across nine episodes, the cast of mismatched celebrity pairings jet off on two very different holidays. While one enjoys a first-class luxury experience, the other explores the same destination on a budget. Get ready for unforgettable adventures of discovery, culture, and fun.
As we move towards spring, prepare to feel the love as the First Dates restaurant reopens for another season on RT 2. With smouldering desires, secret passions, cheesy chat-up lines, risky banter, and jaw-dropping revelations, the new series of First Dates sees a new batch of hopeful singletons arrive for their dates with destiny. On hand as always with kind words of encouragement, shoulders to cry on, and insightful observations on love, life and dating etiquette are Maitre D' Mateo, table angels Alice and Pete, and Neil, the world's friendliest barman. Everyone has an equal opportunity to find romance: young, old, straight, LGBTQ, shrinking violets, and strutting peacocks alike. Expect drama and delight.
Spring 2026 will also see RT Investigates look at mental health services in Ireland, with a two-part series coming this February.
Also coming soon is The Ryanair Story, a two-part series documenting the 40-year history of Ryanair's ascent from offering one single route, to becoming a giant of world aviation.
Museum of Me is coming in spring, where host Dermot Whelan will invite well-known Irish public figures to become curators of their very own museum exhibition. These exhibitions feature personal treasured possessions, each one holding its own stories and memories. Featuring famous faces including Pat Shortt, Maia Dunphy
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