Ireland: A Television History (1980)

Ireland: A Television History, began on 2 December 1980. It was written and presented by Robert Kee. The series was made at a time when The Troubles were still ongoing, and Kee attempted to explain them against a background of 800 years of Irish history. Interviews with eye witnesses with memories extending as far back as the 1890s helped to bring it to life and the success of the series earned it the BAFTA for Best Documentary Series. Ireland: A Television History was a co-production between the BBC and RTÉ, which allowed for a bigger budget. The producer was Jeremy Isaacs. The series unfolded over 13 episodes in the tradition of the great authored documentary series like Civilisation.