NEWS

Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and Anton Savage at Ravensdale, Co. Louth in RTÉ‘s latest series of Tracks & Trails Spring’s most soothing television watch is back this week as RTÉ’s much-loved walking series Tracks & Trails returns for its 13th season, bringing viewers across some of Ireland’s most spectacular landscapes — including a dedicated Northern Ireland episode featuring Belfast’s Cave Hill and Rathlin Island, Co Antrim. The new five-part series begins this Friday, 10 April, at

Ballymena is set for a major expansion in local broadcasting after Ofcom today ( Thursday, April 9) awarded a small-scale DAB multiplex licence for the area to NIDAB Limited, opening the door for a new generation of local, community and specialist digital radio services across the town and surrounding villages. The decision is a significant boost for local media in Mid and East Antrim and could pave the way for around ten stereo digital radio stations, with capacity for more

Stephen Fry on series 2 of ITV’s The Assembly Award-winning ITV interview series The Assembly is set to return this April for an extended second run, with Sir Stephen Fry and Nicola Sturgeon among a high-profile line-up facing what has become one of television’s most disarming and unpredictable interview formats. The RTS-winning and Bafta-nominated show, praised by critics as one of the most original programmes on television, will see a fresh group of well-known names take t

BBC announces the cast for the return of Balamory, featuring some familiar faces and some new! Images: Lion Television Scotland/BBC After more than two decades off screen, one of the BBC’s most beloved children’s programmes is set to return this month, as Balamory makes its long-awaited comeback on BBC’s CBeebies and BBC iPlayer. The brand-new series will launch on Monday 20 April at 5pm, with all episodes also becoming available on BBC iPlayer the same day, marking the first

950 drones were used to ‘recreate’ the RMS Titanic in Belfast harbour, beside the Titanic Slipways in reference to the BBC series Titanic Sinks Tonight Belfast harbour was transformed into a striking tribute to the city’s most famous ship this week as the BBC launched its Made Of Here campaign in Northern Ireland with a dramatic 950-drone recreation of RMS Titanic. The large-scale aerial display, staged on Monday 30 March using what the BBC described as a “flotilla” of almos

North Coast based lifeguard supervisor Michael Jess. (Photo credit: Nathan Williams) A familiar face on the North Coast is now telling the story of lives saved at sea, as the RNLI marks a major milestone with a new podcast — just as lifeguards return to local beaches ahead of the Easter break. Portrush-based lifeguard supervisor Michael Jess is the narrator of We Are Lifeguards , a five-part series launched this week to celebrate 25 years of RNLI lifeguarding across the UK a

Broadcaster Stephen Nolan in new BBC series Peelers: The PSNI – For Real A new BBC series promises to pull back the curtain on policing in Northern Ireland — with broadcaster Stephen Nolan embedded on the front line alongside officers tackling real-life incidents across Belfast. Peelers: The PSNI – For Real follows officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland as they respond to the pressures of modern policing — from street disorder and substance abuse to domestic vi

Presenter Stephen Watson, left, with Italy and Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola who is joining the BBC Sport NI team for coverage of Northern Ireland’s World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy. Northern Ireland’s World Cup dream takes centre stage this week — and one of football’s most iconic names will be there to witness it. Italian legend Gianfranco Zola  is set to join BBC Sport NI’s live coverage as Michael O’Neill’s side face Italy in a crucial World Cup play-off semi-

L-R: Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler and Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton in Dutton Ranch, episode 1, season 1, streaming on Paramount+, 2026. (Photo: Emerson Miller/Paramount+) A new chapter in the Yellowstone universe is set to unfold this spring, as fan-favourite characters Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler return in a brand-new series — and this time, the stakes are shifting far beyond Montana. Dutton Ranch will premiere globally on Paramount+ on Friday, May 15, launching with two episod

A new BBC Northern Ireland series sees Ronan Keating return to his roots, taking viewers on a personal and visually rich journey along Ireland’s iconic Wild Atlantic Coast. Ronan Keating’s Wild Atlantic blends travel, family, and heritage, offering audiences an intimate look at the places and experiences that have shaped the Irish star’s life. A personal journey along the west coast The series charts an ambitious route through some of Ireland’s most striking coastal counties

Wrightbus manufacturing facility in Ballymena A major boost for Ballymena’s manufacturing sector has been announced after global bus maker Wrightbus was ranked the number one supplier on a key UK public sector procurement platform. The recognition places the Ballymena-based company at the top of the list for operators and local authorities purchasing buses and coaches with 36 seats and above, reinforcing its growing reputation as a leader in both zero-emission and traditional

Channel 4's Location, Location, Location –a property show hosted by experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer Channel 4’s flagship property show Location, Location, Location is heading back to Northern Ireland — and this time, it’s the house hunters who are being called to step forward. The long-running primetime programme is casting for its 2026 series and is actively looking for individuals, couples and families across Northern Ireland who are ready to buy this May. For anyo

BBC Sounds podcast presenter Eve Blair on location recording Your Farm And Mine A new BBC podcast is set to shine a fresh light on rural life in Northern Ireland — and at its heart is a presenter who knows exactly what farm life demands. Your Farm And Mine, a six-part series coming to BBC Sounds, will see Eve Blair step beyond the studio and into farmyards across the country, bringing listeners face to face with the people, animals and graft that shape the agricultural commun

(L-R) Paula Marshall, Volunteer Service Manager, Northern Health and Social Care Trust; Ita McErlean, Secretary, Causeway Hospital Radio; Vinny Hurrell, BBC NI Radio Presenter; Rodney Magee, Chairman, Causeway Hospital Radio; Louise Gillespie, Volunteering Programme Delivery Officer, Northern Health and Social Care Trust. The power of a friendly voice can mean everything to someone in a hospital bed — and this week, volunteers behind Northern Trust’s hospital radio service we

Ireland’s Highest Bar and Restaurant has stepped into the global spotlight. The Ponderosa, perched high in the Sperrin Mountains, has appeared in Lisa McGee’s new Netflix drama How To Get To Heaven From Belfast — placing one of Northern Ireland’s most recognisable rural landmarks centre stage in a major television production. Eagle-eyed viewers tuning into the new series may have spotted the local pub in the penultimate episode. In episode seven, as the dark comedy’s storylin

Jane Rea on the family farm in Shilnavogy in the Antrim hills. (All Images: BBC NI / Below The Radar TV) Jane Rea’s Bloomin’ Wild, a new four-part farming series set on a family farm in Shilnavogy, County Antrim, begins this week on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer. The series follows the changing seasons in the Antrim Hills, exploring food, craft and Ulster-Scots culture woven into everyday rural life. Filmed on Jane Rea’s family farm in the small townland of Shilnav

A powerful new BBC documentary, Caitlin Hanna: Trafficked In Belfast , is shedding light on the short life and tragic death of a young Belfast woman, and the three-year police investigation that uncovered a hidden criminal underworld operating in Northern Ireland. The hour-long film examines how Caitlin Hanna, who was just 21 years old, was exploited by a criminal enterprise before dying from a drug overdose in 2022 — a reality her family and friends say they were completely

The cost of a UK TV licence will increase to £180 a year from 1 April 2026, the Government has confirmed, in line with inflation and the terms of the existing BBC funding settlement. The £5.50 rise – equivalent to an extra 46p a month – follows the methodology set out in the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement, which links annual increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) until the end of the current BBC Charter period in 2027. Ministers said the increase is intended to provide the

Convicted Murderer Colin Howell (Image: Pacemaker Press) A new BBC documentary series is set to revisit one of Northern Ireland’s most disturbing murder cases, revealing chilling police recordings that have never before been broadcast and shedding fresh light on crimes that went undiscovered for almost two decades. Confessions Of A Killer tells the story of dentist Colin Howell, who on 29 January 2009 walked into a police station in Coleraine, County Londonderry, and confesse

Colin Howell A new BBC documentary series will bring to light chilling, never-before-broadcast police recordings from one of Northern Ireland’s most disturbing murder cases, shedding fresh insight into crimes that remained hidden for almost two decades. Confessions Of A Killer tells the story of dentist Colin Howell, who on 29 January 2009 walked into a police station in Coleraine, County Londonderry, and confessed to murdering his wife, Lesley Howell, and his former lover H