Fair City celebrates 35 years on our screens

The series will return to four episodes a week from Friday September 20th 

Who will escape the flames? | Fair City | RTÉ One & RTÉ Player 

This month marks a special milestone for RTÉ’s flagship drama series, Fair City, as it celebrates its 35th anniversary.

The series was first launched on September 18th 1989. With over 5,000 episodes broadcast since its debut, Fair City has established itself as a cultural cornerstone of Irish television, providing audiences with unforgettable characters and compelling storylines.

To commemorate this momentous milestone, the popular soap will return to four episodes per week, with Friday night episodes resuming from September 20th. Audiences can also anticipate action-packed storylines to mark the anniversary running throughout September.

As Ruby Mullen (Rachel Wren) celebrates her 18th, it’s more than her birthday candle that’s burning. As some Carrigstown residents run for their lives, will they escape the flames on time? Onlookers wait in dread, as they reel from secrets uncovered.

Detective Buckley (Aidan O’Hare) gets closer to finding Laura’s killer and a few familiar faces return to town. These homecomings are an unwelcome surprise for some, however. For the first time in over ten years, Jimmy and Suzanne Doyle (David Mitchell and Sarah Flood) will make a surprise return to the series. In a shocking twist, Damien Halpin (Maclean Burke) encounters Ciarán Holloway (Johnny Ward) and Cathal Spillane (Eric Lalor). Ciarán teases Damien with an alarming revelation. Will Katy O’Brien (Amilia Keating) agree to come face-to-face with her kidnapper? Why is Tyler Munroe (Peter Gaynor) back sniffing around Carrigstown? All will be revealed throughout September.

Brigie de Courcy, Executive Producer of Fair City said: “Reaching 35 years is an incredible achievement for any television programme, and it’s all thanks to the dedication of our talented writers, cast and crew, and of course, the viewers who have supported us through the years. We are excited to celebrate this milestone with our audience and look forward to many more years of storytelling in Carrigstown.”

Fair City remains a firm fan favourite with an average weekly reach of 640,000 viewers on linear TV. The series also continues to perform well on RTÉ Player and is one of its Top 10 most streamed programmes for 2024 to date.

Tune in to Fair City on Sunday and Tuesday nights at 8pm, Thursdays at 8.30pm and Fridays at 7.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.