Hall's Pictorial Weekly
Encyclopedia
Hall's Pictorial Weekly, Incorporating the Provincial Vindicator is an Irish satirical television series which was broadcast on Radio Telefís Éireann
from 1971 to 1980.
Regarded as RTÉ's flagship comedy show, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy sketches, re-edited videos, cartoons and spoof television formats. The show was scripted and presented by Frank Hall
, while a large ensemble cast, including Frank Kelly
and Eamon Morrissey
amongst others, performed the sketches.
programme which had aired between 1964 and 1971. In that show the editor, Frank Hall, toured Ireland in search of colourful characters and off-beat situations. According to Hall, it occurred to him one day that he would be much more the master of the situation if he simply sat at home and wrote the sketches, instead of looking for stories around the country.
-Labour Party coalition government. So sharp and constant was its satirical send up of the government ministers of the time, that it is generally accepted that the programme played an important part in bringing the coalition into disrepute and perhaps even contributed to bringing it down. Ireland
at the time had a very volatile economic situation and the show spared no political expense in portraying the then Taoiseach
, Liam Cosgrave
, as the "Minister for Hardship," while the Minister for Finance
, Richie Ryan
, was portrayed as "Richie Ruin".
The show also portrayed the former Taoiseach
Jack Lynch
(played by Frank Kelly
) as a rather benign pipe-smoking figure. The political party he led, Fianna Fáil
, was also lampooned as being called "Feel and Fall". Charles Haughey
was parodied as "Charlie Hawkeye".
featuring highlights from the series was released under the title, The Very Best of Hall's Pictorial Weekly.
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
from 1971 to 1980.
Regarded as RTÉ's flagship comedy show, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy sketches, re-edited videos, cartoons and spoof television formats. The show was scripted and presented by Frank Hall
Frank Hall
Frank Hall was an Irish broadcaster, journalist, satirist and film censor. He is best remembered for his satirical revue programme Hall's Pictorial Weekly.-Early life:...
, while a large ensemble cast, including Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly is an Irish actor, singer and writer, whose career has covered television, radio, theatre, music, screenwriting and film. He is best known for his role as Father Jack Hackett in the comedy Father Ted. He is the son of the cartoonist Charles E...
and Eamon Morrissey
Eamon Morrissey (actor)
Eamon Morrissey is an Irish actor, best known for his comic performances on stage and television.-Early life:An only child, Morrissey was born in Dublin and grew up in the suburb of Ranelagh. His parents encouraged his early interest in stage performance and he won several medals for his...
amongst others, performed the sketches.
Development
Hall's Pictorial Weekly had its origins in the NewsbeatNewsbeat (Irish TV series)
Newsbeat was a Telefís Éireann television current and regional affairs programme presented by Frank Hall and broadcast in Ireland live on weekday evenings from 1964 until 1971.-Background:...
programme which had aired between 1964 and 1971. In that show the editor, Frank Hall, toured Ireland in search of colourful characters and off-beat situations. According to Hall, it occurred to him one day that he would be much more the master of the situation if he simply sat at home and wrote the sketches, instead of looking for stories around the country.
Beginnings
The first episode of Hall's Pictorial Weekly aired on 29 September 1971. Set in the offices of a mythical provincial newspaper in the fictional town of Ballymagash, it was billed as a one-man show starring Frank Hall and feautued bizarre news items from around the country. The first edition featured Hall trying to establish where exactly the centre of Ireland is. The programme quickly evolved from just covering off-beat rural news stories. While this element remained more time was given to more social and political comedy sketches and parodies. In testament to the show's popularity, the term "Ballymagash-style politics" quickly became common parlance as a short-hand way of describing the type of "parish-pump" political shenanigans parodied in the weekly sketches.Political Satire
Hall's Pictorial Weekly was at its strongest during the 1973-1977 term of the Fine GaelFine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
-Labour Party coalition government. So sharp and constant was its satirical send up of the government ministers of the time, that it is generally accepted that the programme played an important part in bringing the coalition into disrepute and perhaps even contributed to bringing it down. Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
at the time had a very volatile economic situation and the show spared no political expense in portraying the then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, Liam Cosgrave
Liam Cosgrave
Liam Cosgrave is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach and as Leader of Fine Gael . He was a Teachta Dála from 1943 to 1981....
, as the "Minister for Hardship," while the Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
, Richie Ryan
Richie Ryan (politician)
Richie Ryan is a former Irish Fine Gael politician.Richie Ryan was born in Dublin in 1929. He was educated at Synge Street CBS, University College Dublin, where he studied economics and jurisprudence, and the Incorporated Law School of Ireland subsequently qualifying as a solicitor...
, was portrayed as "Richie Ruin".
The show also portrayed the former Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Jack Lynch
Jack Lynch
John Mary "Jack" Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office; from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979....
(played by Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly
Frank Kelly is an Irish actor, singer and writer, whose career has covered television, radio, theatre, music, screenwriting and film. He is best known for his role as Father Jack Hackett in the comedy Father Ted. He is the son of the cartoonist Charles E...
) as a rather benign pipe-smoking figure. The political party he led, Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
, was also lampooned as being called "Feel and Fall". Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
was parodied as "Charlie Hawkeye".
Ending
In April 1980 RTÉ decided not to proceed with the new season of Hall's Pictorial Weekly due for transmission in the following May and June. Effectively the show was cancelled, although no clear statement to that effect was made by the broadcaster.Commercial release
In 2004, a DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
featuring highlights from the series was released under the title, The Very Best of Hall's Pictorial Weekly.
Series
| Series | Year | Dates | No. episodes | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | 1971-72 | 29 September - 31 May | 24 episodes | Wednesday | 7:30pm-8:10pm |
| Series 2 | 1972-73 | 30 September - 26 May | 25 episodes | Saturday | 8:00pm-8:30pm |
| Series 3 | 1973-74 | 27 September - 23 May | 30 episodes | Thursday | 8:00pm-8:30pm |
| Series 4 | 1974-75 | 25 September - 7 May | 27 episodes | Wednesday | 8:30pm-9:00pm |
| Series 5 | 1975-76 | 25 September - 3 June | 33 episodes | Thursday | 9:00pm-9:30pm |
| Series 6 | 1976-77 | 6 October - 25 May | Wednesday | 9:00pm-9:30pm | |
| Series 7 | 1977-78 | 21 September - May | Wednesday | 8:30pm-9:00pm | |
| Series 8 | 1978-79 | September - 11 July | Wednesday | 8:30pm-9:00pm | |
| Series 9 | 1979-80 | 31 October - 19 March | Wednesday | 8:30pm-9:00pm |
External links
- RTÉ Archives - includes a link to a clip from Hall's Pictorial Weekly, in SMILSynchronized Multimedia Integration LanguageSMIL , the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, is a W3C recommended XML markup language for describing multimedia presentations. It defines markup for timing, layout, animations, visual transitions, and media embedding, among other things...
format