AN intrepid team of veteran TV professionals who once worked on the popular Kelly Show have joined forces with students from Belfast Metropolitan College’s e3 studios on the Springfield Road to bring the king of chat shows back on to the small screen.
A dozen former UTV staffers – including Gerry Kelly himself and former news presenter Lynda Bryans – have been collaborating with the next generation of media professionals to produce a brand-new programme, 'Tonight with Gerry Kelly'.
Filmed in front of a studio audience, the well-known presenter will bring his own brand of wit and charm to this eight-week pilot series, which can be watched on NVTV from October 28, with guests from across the entertainment scene.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Gerry Kelly said: "What a joy it is to be back working with many of my former colleagues on this new weekly show that will be broadcast on NVTV. And what a delight it is, for us all, to be in a position to pass on our many years of broadcasting experience to the next generation of TV, radio and film makers.
“This is a unique project involving higher education media students from Belfast Met e3 studios in all aspects of television production. Working alongside a whole array of talented programme makers, the students will gain invaluable first-hand knowledge of what is involved in putting television programmes together,” he added.
The plan was hatched when a group of former colleagues got together to see what it would take to put together a programme from start to finish – creating the set, the opening credits, booking the guests then filming and broadcasting the show.
Executive producer Michael McAdam described the project as "a real labour of love for all of us."
"Once you’ve worked in the buzz of a television studio, it never really leaves your system," he said.
"Everyone poured their time and experience into this project, sharing their skills with young people who are just about to start their careers.”
The highly experienced team have now founded Havelock Street Productions, a nod to UTV’s former home at Havelock House, where the Kelly Show was filmed from 1989 to 2005.
Everything fell into place when the group contacted Lynda Bryans, who now works as Coordinator of the Factual Television and Journalism Higher National Diploma course at Belfast Met’s Film and Television School.
Lynda was delighted by this amazing opportunity for the HND Creative Media Production students to get hands-on experience producing programmes that will be recorded in the college’s state-of-the-art television studio in front of a live audience.
The programme will then be edited by the students and broadcast to a wider audience through community station NVTV where it can be viewed or streamed from the website.
Lynda said: “One of Belfast Met’s great strengths is its reputation for doing the hands-on, project-based learning really well. Rather than writing a dissertation about programme production, our students are actually doing it, producing their own content, so it’s fantastic that these highly experienced professionals are sharing their time so freely with this new generation of programme makers.
"The whole college has got involved in this collaborative project with HE students from other departments including graphic design, motion graphics, music performance and production, commercial photography and videography, make up, event management, hospitality and fashion all participating.
"It’s giving real job experience to hundreds of young people.”
As a kid the Kelly NYE on UTV show broadcast from his house was *the only* way to ring in the new year. Felt a bit cheated when I heard it was pre-recorded. Apparently people turned up at his gaff on NYE to catch a glimpse of Daniel O’Donnell only to find it in darkness
— Paddy Raff (@paddyraffcomedy) December 31, 2020
One of the students is Cora McGoldrick from Ballycastle who will be working as production co-ordinator for the show.
She said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity to get real TV production experience. I’m in my final year and hope to go on to be a floor manager or PA as I love being able to bring everything together on a programme. Being able to work alongside these industry professionals on a show recorded in front of a live audience and broadcast to the public has given me an invaluable insight into the job.”
The show will be broadcast at 9pm each Friday night from October 28 on NVTV, which can be found on Freeview Channel 7 or Virgin Media Channel 159. If you’d like to attending the recording of the show, tickets are free and can be booked on Eventbrite.
