Irish audiences tuned in in their droves last night to bid a fond farewell to legendary funnyman Brendan Grace in an emotional final episode of Brendan Grace Thanks for the Memories on RTÉ One. The programme was watched by an average of 421,600* viewers and had a reach of 684,300*** and a share of 35%**.
In February of this year Brendan Grace set out on a challenge. He decided to return to the Olympia for one night only – with a variety show with a difference. He devised a stage show with the Forget-Me-Nots choir and a number of his showbiz friends and planned to document the journey to opening night. However the story took a sad turn when tragedy stuck and Brendan became ill and suddenly the series went from a documentary about a man fighting to put on a show, to the story of a man fighting for his life.
Sadly Brendan lost his cancer battle but the story didn’t end there. He continued to film right up until his final breath and was determined that the show would go on. And it did! The final episode in the three part series saw Brendan’s family rally together after his death to ensure that the biggest show in town went ahead. The episode saw his family, showbiz friends and the Forget-Me-Nots choir all come together to organise a tribute concert to say goodbye to one of the greatest Irish entertainers of all time.
The series has been streamed over 43,000 times on RTÉ Player.
Viewers can look forward to seeing the full tribute concert when it airs on RTÉ One over the Christmas period.
Ratings Source: TAM Ireland Ltd / Nielsen TAM
*Average audience (Live+VOSDAL – Live + Viewed on Same Day As Live) –The average number of viewers across a programme or series, expressed in 000s. TV viewing is measured minute-by-minute, so the average audience is the average across all of these minutes.
**Share – Percentage of the total audience watching television at the time.
***Reach, Live + VOSDAL – Reach is the number of people who tuned in for at least a minute of the show.