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BRAND NEW – RTÉ Player launches The Couch

The Couch / Presenter Yvonne Tiernan. Photograph by Barry McCall Image Name: The Couch / Presenter Yvonne Tiernan. Photograph by Barry McCall Description: The Couch / Presenter Yvonne Tiernan. Photograph by Barry McCall Copyright: Photo available only in association with publicity for The Couch series. Promotional purposes only.

A brand new six-part series presented by Yvonne Tiernan beginning on Monday 12 October

Exclusive to RTÉ Player, The Couch, a brand new six-part series hosted by Yvonne Tiernan begins on Monday 12 October

New talent Yvonne Tiernan brings a refreshing approach to the weekly conversation series that captures women’s ability to engage in an open exchange of stories, intimacies, life lessons and wisdom. Surprisingly frank and honest, each episode deals with the universal themes of life with well-known Irish and international women, all of whom reveal secrets and truths throughout this six-part RTÉ Player series.

With over 20 years of experience in the world of entertainment, Yvonne (43) has assembled an impressive guest-list for her very first solo production, including businesswoman and perfumier Jo Malone, comedian writer and actress Sharon Horgan, Singer/Songwriter Eddi Reader, broadcaster and journalist Maia Dunphy, hotelier and trustee of the Castle Leslie Estate Sammy Leslie, broadcaster and actress Bláithnaid Ní Chofaigh and model and agent Celia Holman Lee. Themes explored throughout the series include Motherhood, Love, Beauty, Mums & Dads, Relationships and Wisdom.

A long-time fan of interview shows, Yvonne wanted to make a chat show with a difference, one that provides a forum for women to talk about the challenges they face on a daily basis:

“I’m a Mum, a Wife, a Sister, a Daughter and a Friend too and I know I don’t have all of the answers. So, I am interested in finding out how other women are dealing with the same challenges. I want ‘The Couch’ to represent the conversations us women are having everyday so as you can imagine there are lots of tears and laughter on set. As a big fan of old school interview shows this whole experience is a kind of dream come true for me and I hope it’s the beginning of a whole new chapter in my career.”

Exclusive to RTÉ Player, ‘The Couch’ begins on October 12th and is available on RTÉ Player on www.rte.ie/player or through the RTÉ Player app available for free download for iOS and Android devices. Following the launch of the first episode on Monday 12 October, a new programme will be made available on demand each Monday for the following five weeks as part of ‘The Couch’ series collection.

‘The Couch’ is Produced by David Power and directed by Anna Rodgers with Yvonne Tiernan as Executive Producer.

The series was commissioned by Eddie Doyle, Head of Comedy, Music and New Talent, RTÉ TV who said, “Yvonne has created an extraordinarily warm and intimate series. Each of the interviewees tell us something new and important about themselves, and about life for women today. It’s very exciting to be able to bring new, high calibre talent to the public in such an innovative way.”

Aoife Byrne, Director of Content & Products, RTÉ Digital said, “We are really excited to bring RTÉ’s first ever online chat show to our audiences on RTÉ Player. The Couch is a fresh and original take on a traditional chat format, centred around themes, rather than single interviews, all beautifully packaged into snackable webisodes. We want RTÉ Player to be a place where we can experiment with new formats and new ways of storytelling, designed specifically for our audiences watching online and on mobile. The Couch fits this bill perfectly.

Take a sneak peek here before the show goes live on RTÉ Player : RTÉ Player : The Couch

Contact: Aine Kerrigan, Communications Co-ordinator, RTÉ Digital – email: aine.kerrigan@rte.ie

Note to Editors:

Yvonne Tiernan Biog

Initiating her career at the Factory Studios Dublin Yvonne then moved to Warner Music Ireland finally opening her own management offices MCMA at the The Factory studios where she managed numerous Irish and International acts. She has also worked as a Talent Scout for BMG Records and as the Music Editor at VIP Magazine. Yvonne worked for over a decade with The Chieftains running their Irish Management office while also touring the world with them as lead vocalist. Having studied opera at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Yvonne has sung with The Chieftains, The Commitments & Abbaesque to name a few and currently sings with her new contemporary country band ‘The Black Berries’ based in Galway. For the last 10 years Yvonne was Manager to her husband, stand-up Comedian Tommy Tiernan, and executive producer of his many DVDs. Her first appearance on TV was as presenter of the first series of RTÉ travel show ‘No Frontiers’. A qualified Life Coach, Yvonne has begun studying for a degree in Psychology with The Open University. Born in Dublin Yvonne now lives in Galway with her husband, and their three children, Isobel (8), Louis (7) & Theo (3).