Fair City

Fair City
GenreSoap opera
Created byMargaret Gleeson, Paul Cusack
StarringList of characters
Theme music composerColumb Farrelly, Andy O'Callaghan
Country of originIreland
Original languageEnglish
No. of series35
No. of episodes5170
Production
Executive producerBrigie de Courcy
ProducerTeresa Smith
Production locationsArdmore Studios, Bray, County Wicklow (1989–1994), Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 (1994–present)
Camera setupMultiple-camera setup
Running time23 minutes
(excluding ad breaks)
Production companyRaidió Teilifís Éireann
Original release
NetworkRTÉ One
Release18 September 1989 (1989-09-18) –
present
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Fair City is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster RTE, it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awards[1][2] and is both the most popular and the longest running Irish drama serial.[3]

Plots centre on the domestic and professional lives of the residents of Carrigstown, a fictional suburb of the Northside part of the city of Dublin. The area encompasses a restaurant, pub, garage, corner shop, community centre, charity shop, surgery, boxing club (Esker/Carrigstown Boxing Club) and various businesses. Originally aired as one half-hour episode per week for a limited run, the show is now broadcast year round on RTÉ One in three episodes per week, all of which air at 20:00.[4]

Fair City is the most watched drama in Ireland, with average viewing figures of 550,000.[5] Devised by executive producer Margaret Gleeson and series producer Paul Cusack,[6] it has remained a significant programme in terms of RTÉ's success and audience share, and also in the history of Irish television drama, tackling many controversial and taboo issues previously unseen on Irish television, such as rape.[7]

  1. ^ "Pat Nolan Wins Golden Rose Award". ITFN. 9 May 2005.
  2. ^ "Issue 370". TV Now. 10 July 2007.
  3. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (19 October 2008). "Keith Duffy joins Irish soap 'Fair City'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  4. ^ Hogan, Yvonne (11 July 2009). "All's Fair in love and war". Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  5. ^ Rowe, Simon (26 October 2015). "Come on down if the price is right: product placement takes a new starring role in Irish TV budgets". Irish Independent. INM.
  6. ^ Nationwide, broadcast 15 September 2014.
  7. ^ Clarity, James F. (1 April 1997). "When Dirty Laundry Shows, Use Tougher Soaps". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 May 2014.