Alan Hughes (born 19 October 1963[ citation needed ]) is an Irish television personality, pantomime actor and producer. He works for Virgin Media and appears on Ireland AM . He also hosted Family Fortunes from 2012 to 2014. [1]
In the 1990s, he hosted the RTÉ game show Talk About for three years. [2]
Since the 1990s, Hughes has co-produced and starred in pantomimes, usually playing the camp character Sammy Sausages with his "tanx a thousand!" catchphrase. [3]
In 2009, Hughes faced a health scare when there were fears he had stomach cancer. [4]
In September 2011, Hughes engaged in a civil partnership with his partner of 18 years, Karl Broderick, a songwriter, at the Unitarian Church in St Stephen's Green, Dublin. [5] [6] The wedding, on the 18th anniversary of their meeting, was described by The Irish Times as the highest profile wedding since legislation permitting it to take place was brought in. [7] Close friend Derek Mooney was his best man. [8] The couple appeared on The Saturday Night Show soon afterwards in their first public interview together. [9]
Hughes was nominated in the Favourite Male TV Presenter category at the 2009 TV Now Awards. [4]
Hughes and husband Broderick, [10] as Panto.ie/Anthem productions, [11] [12] [13] have produced pantomimes since the 1990s. [14] [15] [16] It was known for sponsorship reasons as the Ambrosia Splat Panto, [16] and the Cheerios Panto. [17] [18] Hughes usually plays the camp character Sammy Sausages with his "tanx a thousand!" catchphrase, with Rob Murphy playing Buffy. [3] [19] Venues have included the Tivoli, [3] Saint Anthony's Theatre, [16] [20] Liberty Hall Theatre, [16] and the National Stadium. [17] [21] Productions in 2020 and 2021 were affected by the impact of COVID-19. For 2020, a drive-in show, Peter Pan, was staged at Malahide Castle. [22] The 2021/22 production Aladdin, was curtailed due to a spike in infections. [23]
Productions have included performances by Brian Dowling, [11] Nadia Forde, [24] Jake Carter, [22] Niamh Kavanagh and pre-recorded pieces by broadcasters Joe Duffy and Marty Morrissey. [24] [25] [17]
Joseph Duffy is an Irish radio and TV presenter employed by RTÉ. One of the public service broadcaster's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of Liveline, an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on Mondays to Fridays between 13:45 and 15:00.
Raymond Michael D'Arcy is an Irish television and radio presenter currently on his second stint at state broadcaster RTÉ.
A Meteor Ireland Music Award was an accolade bestowed upon professionals in the music industry in Ireland and further afield. They had been bestowed each year since 2001, replacing the IRMA Ireland Music Awards held in the 1990s. Promoted by MCD Productions, the ceremony at which these accolades were bestowed upon worthy recipients was referred to colloquially as The Meteors, though occasionally also by its full title.
Derek James Mooney is an Irish radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. Until January 2015 he presented a weekday afternoon programme called Mooney on RTÉ Radio 1. He is the current executive producer across RTÉ Radio 1's nature and wildlife programming
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Raidió Teilifís Éireann is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public service broadcasters in the world. It is headquartered in Donnybrook in Dublin, with offices across different parts of Ireland.
The Frontline is a topical debate television programme in Ireland, which aired for 60 minutes every Monday night on RTÉ One at 22:30. It debuted on Monday, 21 September 2009. The Frontline replaced a similar political analysis show Questions and Answers. The programme features around an invited audience and featured guests.
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Anna Daly is an Irish television presenter. She worked for TV3 and was a presenter on TV3's breakfast show, Ireland AM and Weekend AM.
Events during the year 2012 in Ireland.
The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2009.
The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2011.
The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 2012.
The Vita Cortex sit-in was a peaceful protest at the Vita Cortex plant on the Kinsale Road in Cork, Ireland, which began on 16 December 2011 after workers were made redundant without pay with immediate effect. The dispute led to nationwide protests, television appeals and debates in Dáil Éireann. According to the trade union UNITE, the dispute was part of a growing trend of workers being "left in the cold" after being made redundant.
Annalise Murphy is an Irish sailor who won a silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2021, in Laser Radial.
Looking at Alan's slick new image for the show, is it likely that his signature deckchair jackets from his RTÉ Talkabout days will resurface? "I'd nearly go to someone in publicity in RTÉ and bribe them to burn every picture!
Despite denying similarities between the two shows, insiders revealed that Derek, who was best man at Alan's partnership with Karl Broderick, has been feeling the heat and knows his show will be pitted against Alan's.