Reeling In the Years
| Reeling In the Years | |
|---|---|
| File:RITY.gif RTÉ promotional picture | |
| Opening theme | Reelin' In The Years |
| Ending theme | Reelin' In The Years |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Original language | English/Irish |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 25 Minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | RTÉ One |
| Release | Present |
Reeling In The Years is a historical documentary series broadcast in Ireland by Radio Telefís Éireann. Each episode, approximately 25 minutes long, looks back at the news and events of a particular year, from 1962 to 1999. The programme uses news archive footage, along with subtitles as the means of narration, to recount notable Irish and international events of the time. Music from the particular year is also played over the footage, with occasional scenes of live performances or videos, generally by an Irish artist.
The theme tune for the series comes from Steely Dan's 1972 hit "Reelin' In The Years".
Series
There have been four series of Reeling In The Years, each dealing with a different decade:
- 1980s - first broadcast in 1999
- 1990s - first broadcast in 2000
- 1970s - first broadcast in 2002
- 1960s - first broadcast in 2004 (only covers 1962 to 1969)
The most recent series does not cover 1960 or 1961 because these years pre-date the official launch of Teilifís Éireann, the television arm of the national broadcaster RTÉ. 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, in order to represent various historical events.
All four 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 Taoiseach Charles Haughey discussing 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!".
Copyright and DVD release
RTÉ has said that, because of the number of clips from external companies used in the series, it would be unfeasible to release it on VHS or DVD. It claims that securing "video clearance" for each clip and song would make any release prohibitively expensive. RTÉ did consider releasing an altered version of the program which would only contain the images that they owned the rights to. However, this idea was abandoned because they felt that it would not be as good as the broadcast version of the show. [1]