Love/Hate Accused Of Glamorising RTÉ
POPULAR crime drama Love/Hate has come under fire from a concerned group of writers and actors who claim the show glamorises RTÉ with its high production values and gripping story-lines.
The show, which begins its fifth season on Sunday night, has received widespread critical acclaim for its gritty depiction of gangland crime in Ireland, and has made a household name out of its leading actor Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, who portrays central character Nidge.
However, a group of disgruntled artistic types has criticised the show in recent weeks, claiming that it creates an unrealistically glamorous view of state broadcaster RTÉ, where the lauded show airs on Sunday nights.
“The quality and the success of Love/Hate in recent years has lead many people to believe that RTÉ is a world-class broadcaster,” said Phillip Carroll, screenwriter and spokesperson for the Irish Guild Of Concerned Artists. “It has created this illusion that RTÉ can output high quality shows which captivate large audiences, which couldn’t be further from the truth”.
Carroll went on to point out that Love/Hate’s 400,000+ viewership figures is only equaled by The Late Late Show, hosted by Ryan Tubridy, instead of similar engaging dramas that people might actually want to watch.
The IGCA claim this false impression that RTÉ are open to new ideas is damaging to both up-and-coming writers and actors, who routinely fall into the trap of thinking there might be a job for them in this country.
“I’ve seen so many of my fellow writers and actors get sucked in by the sham reality created by the quality of Love/Hate,” said Carroll, who currently has several shows in development with BBC and Channel 4. “Love/Hate makes it look, to young people, like RTÉ has the money to take risks and support homegrown talent, whereas the only real work it has to offer is bit-parts on Fair City”.
Love/Hate season 5 promises to have the series’ most explosive episodes to date, courtesy of a budget which is said to be half of a veteran RTÉ presenters annual salary.