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Viewers can look forward to a diverse range of fresh programmes on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland with everything from brand-new comedy and culture shows on Wednesday nights to thought-provoking and hard-hitting documentaries.

Ailsa Orr, Head of Programmes, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland, says: "³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland's new schedule offers a great and fresh range of programmes for the autumn season with something to suit everyone as the nights begin to draw in.

"Wednesday nights are the new home of comedy and culture on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One Northern Ireland, kicking off with Our William, presented by Lurgan entertainer, William Caulfield. Tim McGarry's Irish History Lesson offers an alternative and entertaining romp through the history books, and we have a brand-new sketch series, LOL, featuring local comedy writing and acting talent, as well as Sketchy With Diarmuid Corr, a new comedy series starring talented County Tyrone-born actor and comedian, Diarmuid Corr.

"Monday nights on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One Northern Ireland continue with high-impact factual programmes such as Special Deliveries, which provides a unique and fascinating window into the inner workings of one of Northern Ireland's busiest maternity units in the Ulster Hospital, following the midwives who work there.

"In The High Life we reveal how landmark Belfast high-rise, Divis Tower, has become a modern haven of high style living, while in Choirboys TV cameras follow the new choir master in Saint Peter's Cathedral as he scours Belfast for new recruits to fulfil his ambition to have the choir sing in Rome.

"Our Man In The Vatican rejoins local man Francis Campbell, British Ambassador to the Holy See, as he prepares for the Pope's visit to Britain, while Joe Lindsay and Emma-Louise Johnston return with a new series of Getaways, on a mission to uncover the best holiday destinations both at home and away.

"This season also sees In Cold Blood back for another series on Tuesday nights where cold case murders are explained by the detectives who solve them.

"This wide range of distinctive, high-quality programming shows our commitment to making local programmes reflecting life in its many forms and we hope our audiences will sit back and enjoy what promises to be a great autumn line-up."

Some highlights from ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland's new season include:

Wednesday evenings on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One Northern Ireland is the home of comedy and culture.

Topless sunbathing, self-service checkouts, jogger's nipple and the Kama Sutra are just some of the musings and observations made by comedian William Caulfield in his new four-part series Our William, made by ALX Production.

Each week the popular Lurgan-born entertainer shares his unique Northern Irish perspective on a different everyday grind in front of a studio audience, with relationships, money, travel and health all on the receiving end of his rib-tickling, home-grown repartee.

There are also some appearances from a local lollipop lady, a farmer, a delivery man and a school pupil as William takes on a ranges of fun guises in comedy sketches which are interwoven into his outstanding stand-up routine.

The comedy continues with Sketchy With Diarmuid Corr, a modern mix of bright new stand-up comedy performance and sharp character sketches, co-written and starring the Tyrone-born actor and comedian.

The series, produced for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland by Green Inc, was recorded in front of an audience at The Craic Theatre, Coalisland. It features Diarmuid performing brand new stand-up material covering a wide and varied range of themes; from his theory on how some of Northern Ireland’s towns got their names, to the downright dangerous nature of modern male grooming,

On each programme, Diarmuid's stand-up comedy sits alongside comedy sketches, as he brings to life a range of original character creations – recognisable, risqué, surprising and in situations reflective of modern life in Northern Ireland and beyond.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland also brings together some of the country's freshest comedy talent in a three-part sketch show – LOL. The series aims to bring a new feel to the age old problem – how to make local people laugh.

Written, performed, produced and filmed in Northern Ireland, the series uses a unique blend of traditional sketch show comedy, mixed with archive and parody. Invasion, war, famine, repression and conflict – Irish history has always been a rich source of comedy. And Tim McGarry's Irish History Lesson will definitely have local audiences laughing.

Featuring Tim's solo show recorded live at the Old Courthouse, Antrim as well as superb animation from Flickerpix, the creators of On The Air, this is one history lesson that even people who don't like history will want to watch.

Join Tim on his romp through the history of Ireland, from the ancient Celts to Irisgate and everything in between. Find out how we got from the land of Saints and Scholars to Catriona Ruane as education minister. And never mind who started the Troubles, who won them?

This year's Belfast Festival at Queen's is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet, and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland will be at the heart of the action with Festival Nights.

Coverage kicks off the week before the festival starts, in a programme with Ralph McLean and Marie-Louise Muir previewing the must see productions and events. Once the festival is underway, Ralph and Marie-Louise will present five shows across two weeks, from a venue at Queen's.

Each show will feature previews, reviews, guests and great musical performances from the stars of the festival.

While on Monday nights ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One Northern Ireland will continue to showcase high-impact, factual programmes, such as the return of Our Man In The Vatican.

Leaked memos from London, negative press coverage, a change of government and intense speculation about his successor are just some of the issues Francis Campbell, the Newry-born Ambassador to the Vatican, has had to deal with in the past year.

For much of this year Francis Campbell has been central to the planning of Pope Benedict's state visit to the United Kingdom, scheduled for the middle of this month.

After the success of the first series of programmes, transmitted in February, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland cameras have stayed close to the Ambassador as he grapples with where exactly the Pope would visit, planning the security and logistics, and even how to the get the Popemobiles to Britain.

With exclusive access to Whitehall and The Vatican, this sequel tells the story of Pope Benedict's historic visit from the inside.

It dominates the Belfast skyline at a height of 200 feet but for 40 years it was synonymous with everything that was wrong with high-rise living. The High Life is a new two-part documentary series on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One Northern Ireland that tells the story of how one man's dream of a city in the sky, initially came crashing down to earth. But now, 50 years on, is a sought after location to live with a two-year waiting list.

The two programmes, produced by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland, tell the story of the Divis complex – how it was viewed by many as an example of future living when it was built, its part during The Troubles and how residents campaigned to have the complex demolished. It also hears from some of today's Divis Tower residents who view it as their home in the sky.

Can one man, 50 boys and an ancient musical tradition fill the empty pews at Belfast's only Catholic Cathedral? St Peter's was once the beating heart of the Falls Road, with a congregation of 25,000 parishioners. But now just 5,000 attend mass.

Choirboys, a three-part observational documentary series follows the fortunes of choirmaster Nigel McClintock over the course of a school year as he attempts to create an internationally renowned Schola that will draw people back to the cathedral.

The task is immense. The choir is full of raw talent. And some of the boys are as young as eight. But over the course of a school year, they must be good enough to sing for the paying public. They will also have to hit the right note during a broadcast televised live all over Europe. And the ultimate challenge – the boys must sing for the Pope in Rome.

As the darker nights approach, Getaways, the popular travel series is back with Joe Lindsay and Emma-Louise Johnston on a mission to uncover the best holiday destinations you can fly to directly out of Ireland.

In this six-part series, produced for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland by Waddell Media, the pair uncover holiday gems in Croatia, Hungary, Canada, Cyprus and Abu Dhabi.

They'll also be reporting on a Mediterranean break from one of the world's largest cruise ships. And, closer to home, each programme includes one of the best short breaks "on our doorstep".

Tuesday nights sees the return of In Cold Blood, followed by a new series of the multi-award-winning Spotlight.

In Cold Blood, the compelling documentary series, examines four more successfully solved civilian murder cases in Northern Ireland.

Now in its third series, the programmes use dramatic reconstructions, expert witness testimony and archive footage to take a fascinating look at the science – including forensics and pathology – that have helped solve some of Northern Ireland's most high profile murder cases.

Poignantly, In Cold Blood hears from the victims' relatives about the human cost, their great pain and loss and the devastating impact these crimes have had on their lives.

Through expert testimony, the series also reveals the human stories behind the headlines by building up and reconstructing a picture of the victims' last movements and offers an interpretation of how the actual events took place.

In Cold Blood, made by Stirling Productions for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Northern Ireland, has unique access to the PSNI investigation, as well as the forensic experts involved. The new five-part series shows how the latest forensic techniques, from early blood sampling to current high-tech DNA testing, is used to assist and solve investigations.

All these programmes will be available to view again on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iPlayer.

CC