{{Infobox television , image = , caption = , genre =

Talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

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RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

, country =

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, language = English , num_series = , num_episodes = , list_episodes = , executive_producer = , producer = , editor = , location = , cinematography = , camera = , runtime = , network =

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís � ...

, picture_format = , audio_format = , first_aired = {{Start date, 2006, 3 , last_aired = {{End date, 2006, 12, 31, df=yes , preceded_by = , followed_by = , related = ''Celebrity Jigs n' Reels'' was an Irish

reality entertainment Reality Entertainment is a Philippine production company founded and managed by the Filipino filmmaker Erik Matti and his producing partner Dondon Monteverde (son of the film producer Lily Monteverde). Filmography References

Film pr ...

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

broadcast on

. It was produced by Mind The Gap Films.

Format

The series started out with seven celebrities paired with professional Irish dancers. Each week they were given a contemporary Irish rock or pop song (as chosen by producers), to which the professional Irish

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

had to choreograph a traditional Irish dance. They would then dance for the judges, who would give feedback and subsequently award points. The dancers then faced a public vote, with the two couples who received the lowest number of votes having to face the judges again. When the judges revealed the number of points they were awarding, the couple with the lower score were eliminated.

Series one

Series one launched in March 2006, in the slot regularly occupied by ''

You're a Star ''You're a Star'' is an Irish music competition series broadcast by RTÉ One from 2002 to 2008. Produced by the broadcaster and Screentime ShinAwiL, the series was similar to formats such as ''Idol'' and ''The X Factor''. For its first three se ...

''. With a mix of high-profile celebrities such as the singer Dana and Olympic gold medallist

Michael Carruth Michael Carruth (born 9 July 1967) is a southpaw Irish Olympic boxer from Dublin. He is best known for winning the welterweight gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He turned Pro in 1994 but retired in 2000. Amateur boxing ;Ol ...

, as well as relative unknowns, such as Emma O'Driscoll and Suzanne Walshe, the show slowly climbed the ratings and achieved a reported 43 per cent audience share. The following year in March 2007 with more high-profile celebrities it was

Gavin Ó Fearraigh Gavin Ó Fearraigh (born 5 May 1980) is an Ireland, Irish actor, dancer and model. He is most notable for his role as ''Conall Daly'' in the TG4 soap ''Ros na Rún''. He came first in the Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) reality show ''Celebrit ...

actor and model from the Irish TV drama Ros na Rún who won the crown along with his dance partner Dearbhla Lennon.

Judges

Jean Butler Jean Butler (born March 14, 1971) is an American stepdancer, a master of Irish Dance, choreographer, and actress. She is best known for originating the principal female role in the Irish dance theatrical production ''Riverdance''. In January 202 ...

George Hook George Hook (born 19 May 1941) is an Irish people, Irish Broadcasting, broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He formerly hosted ''The Right Hook'' and ''High Noon'' on the Irish radio station Newstalk. He had a career as a rugby unio ...

Colin Dunne Colin Dunne (born 8 May 1968) is an English-Irish dancer and choreographer who is a leading figure in the world of traditional Irish dance, as well as a theatre actor and contemporary dancer. Best known internationally for his performances and c ...

, Robert O'Byrne

Celebrities and dancers

and Dearbhla Lennon ''(winners)''(2007) * Killian O'Sullivan and Nicola Byrne ''(winners)''(2006) * Dana and Ronan McCormack ''(2nd place)'' *Paul Byrom and Susan Ginnety ''(3rd place)'' *

and Dearbhla Lennon ''(4th place)'' *Jen Kelly and Paula Goulding ''(5th place)'' * Emma O'Driscoll and Mick Donegan ''(6th place)'' *Suzanne Walshe and Scott Porter ''(7th place)'' *Kevin Dundon and Rachel Byrne – 2007

New Year's Party

On 31 December 2006, ''Celebrity Jigs n'Reels'' returned to ring Ireland into the New Year live on

. Seven brand new celebrities danced for one night only to raise money for charity and bring in 2007. The format differed from series one in that no celebrity represented a specific charity; instead all the money raised went to

Focus Ireland Focus Ireland is a nonprofit organisation based in Dublin, Ireland that provides services for people who are homeless and people at risk of homelessness in Ireland. It was founded by Sister Stanislaus Kennedy in 1985, and is one of the largest hou ...

and The Simon Community, both of which look after the homeless.

Hilda Fay Hilda Fay is an Irish actor. She was nominated for an IFTA for best supporting actress for her role in whistleblower in 2009. She graduated from Trinity College, Dublin's Samuel Beckett Centre. She has appeared on stage in the Gate Theatre's "Thr ...

(from '' Fair City'') was crowned champion, beating former ''

Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' ** Authoritarian personality, any omnipresent figure representing oppressive control ** Big Brother Awards, a sat ...

'' star Ray Shah, model

Celia Holman Lee Celia Holman Lee (born 2 December 1950) is an Irish model, fashion stylist and television presenter who was born in Ballynanty, Limerick City. Career Celia Holman Lee started out as a model at the age of 15 while still at school after being appro ...

, GAA All Star

Oisín McConville Oisín McConville ( ga, Oisín Mac Conmhaoil; born 13 October 1975) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He has been manager of the Wicklow county team since 2022. McCoville played at senior level for the Armagh county team ...

, and ex Pogues bassist Cait O'Riordan. The results show ran for an extended period of 50 minutes and included a live singing performance from Paul Byrom (second runner up from series one), as well as a four-minute ensemble dance routine from the shows professional dancers. The results show also marked the return of 2006 winner Killian O'Sullivan, who danced with his former partner Nicola Byrne to the Scissor Sisters track "

I Don't Feel Like Dancin' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" is a song by American pop band Scissor Sisters. It was released in August 2006 as the first single from their second album, ''Ta-Dah'' (2006). The song was written by Jason Sellards, Scott Hoffman and Elton John, th ...

". This marked the first time a song by a non-Irish artist or band was featured in the show. The New Year's Party show stood out as it was the first live show to ring in the New Year on RTÉ in more than five years. In previous years recorded shows were played "as live" on 31 December and usually involved a standard format of musical entertainment and chat with an invited audience.

Judges

Panellist Robert O'Byrne did not return for the New Year's Special.

External links

''Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels''
at RTÉ Television 2006 Irish television series debuts 2007 Irish television series endings Irish variety television shows RTÉ original programming