Information
Budget: €90,000 - €140,000 per hour
Duration: Series of 50 minutes. Two - Three parts
TX: January 2026 onwards
In exceptional circumstances if a higher cost per hour is necessary, producers should provide additional information and details explaining the reasons for the increased cost.
Full Brief
Monday night continues to be a must-watch evening for Irish viewers and a cornerstone for RTÉ One Factual. Upholding the utmost quality of Documentaries and Documentary Series is crucial for preserving the prestige and pertinence of this slot. The life of stand-alone documentaries and series on the Player is now equally important and all ideas will be looked at through that lens as well.
We are looking for stories that offer a window into modern Ireland. We favour narratives and stories in the present tense which offer a clear view on contemporary life or a modern perspective on our very recent past. We particularly welcome access to areas that showcase the economic and cultural diversity of contemporary Ireland, as well as incredible true real-life stories that are so captivating they demand to be watched for their conversational value alone.
A unique and clear vision from the director regarding the storytelling approach is essential. Pitches should narrate the story to us, not merely describe what the story is about. A clear vision of the first five minutes of a doc or series really helps us grasp the vision.
Our top priority in the coming years is access. We want to reflect society by bringing cameras where they may never have been before. Last year we had a very successful access series, On the Beat, which went behind the scenes in three regional Garda Stations. On the Beat will return in 2025, as will a new documentary on the University Hospital in Cork. These series give us a unique perspective on how we function as a society and interact with our public services. What other precincts can we gain access to and how best can we bring everyday stories to life?
The best documentaries tell brilliant stories. While they are rooted in the present and have a contemporary perspective. We always want yarns that dip into the recent past and unfold overtime. Even better, we’re keen to develop stories that are evolving now and that can be followed over time.
We are interested in:
- Present tense stories. Stories that put an issue back on the agenda due to their singular brilliance, like Nicola: Taking Back Control, Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost, and Jackie and Coco. We have commissioned a documentary authored by Natasha O'Brien as she awaits Cathal Crotty's sentence review and assesses the impact of the criminal justice system on female victims.
- Precinct-based series, especially those from institutions and organisations that play a central role in our lives but whose operations remain enigmatic. The criminal justice system remains a priority, as does a robust ‘blue lights’ returnable format. Please note that we are currently producing a second series with the Guards and a hospital access series, but there is still plenty of untapped potential in immersive access series, which bring us where cameras have never been before, and this remains a priority.
- Last year, Keith Duffy introduced us to the world of cosmetic dentistry in Keith’s Teeth: A Dental Odyssey, and PJ Gallagher: Changing His Mind offered a personal viewpoint on mental illness. We are open to more programs like these, but only if the subject has real potential and the attached personality has a genuine and compelling reason to explore it.
- Profiles are not a priority, but we will always consider access to individuals who have had a significant social or historical impact, especially if a present tense narrative can be superimposed onto an extraordinary career.
- Box-sets. These can track real-life stories as they evolve or examine recent history through a contemporary lens. What aspects of our recent social history warrant our attention? What past stories, when viewed today, require re-evaluation? Why is it important to tell this story now? Quinn Country is a prime example, and we have several others in the pipeline. Large, landmark series are the ultimate goal, but the bar is high. We need to be persuaded that the story is multi-faceted, and that the storytelling can live up to the concept’s ambition.
- If you are proposing a single film, what makes it unique, multi-layered, and compelling? How will storytelling shed light on the subject, does it offer genuine emotional engagement with the emphasis on feeling a story rather than telling it, and what will make it appeal to a wide, diverse audience? Man vs Ocean and Birdsong were visually striking stories that worked on multiple levels. Unique stories are always worth discussing with us, and they often linger longest in viewers’ minds.
- Does your idea shed new light on the real diversity of lived experience in Ireland? 'We are looking for new ways of approaching the culture wars through documentary, in a way that gives them meaning and gives audiences a chance to listen and understand '
- How can we accurately capture the pulse of contemporary Ireland? We are seeking a strand that reveals the individuals, companies, and organisations that constitute the fabric of modern life. We have commissioned a two-part series, Turbulence, which looks at the highs and lows of Ryanair from inception to today.
- The criminal justice system remains of interest. While our focus has generally been on violent crime – fraud, identity theft, white-collar crime, many aspects of the criminal justice system have not been thoroughly explored. Here again, any offering must be distinctive. The Case I Can’t Forget and Dr Cassidy’s Casebook are instantly recognisable. . What other approaches make these real-life dramas stand out from the myriads of offerings on other channels and streamers? We are currently developing a series on extraordinary fraud cases but are open to other approaches to similar areas. Our dream commission would involve following an investigation in real time, and if you are proposing a single or series that is truly groundbreaking, we are willing to consider the timing of transmission until a case is adjudicated.
- We are still open to anniversary pieces but consider their timeliness and how the subject relates and sheds light on the lives of our audiences now.
- Quick turn-around: This year, we commissioned two documentaries with very short turnarounds. Murder of a GAA Chairman, which needed to be broadcast before the enactment of the Legacy Bill in the UK in May, and The Locals, following candidates in the 2024 local elections. We can be agile if necessary, so don’t hesitate to contact us with an imminent story that needs to go into production quickly and really cannot sit on the shelf.
Documentaries and Series that play in this slot must stand out from the crowd, be authoritative, distinctive, and high-quality. This is our most impactful slot, and programs that play here should have top-tier production values and be must-see TV. In addition to driving audiences to watch these stories live, they must be so compelling that they have the potential to engage a large catch-up audience on RTÉ Player. To achieve this, they must be the subject of the next day’s conversation.
We ask, in the first instance, that producers submit ideas into the e-commissioning system Login | RTE (rtegroup.ie) under the programme category "Factual Documentaries & Series, RTÉ One Monday 21:30 - 2025"
We accept and consider ideas on a rolling commissioning basis. The next group of slots we aim to fill are from T2 2025. Ideas for these slots should be fully developed by late September 2024. Ideally, we prefer to receive programme proposals that align with the above advertised briefs. However, if you have an idea that doesn’t fit within these briefs, but you believe it might interest us, please submit your proposal to the General Call-out.