''Discovery'' was the first documentary

television series 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 be ...

to be broadcast on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...

. The series started on 7 January 1964 with a programme on

Dublin Airport Dublin Airport ( Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south o ...

. The series producer was Charlie Scott, and

Brian Cleeve Brian Brendon Talbot Cleeve (22 November 1921 – 11 March 2003) was a writer, whose published works include twenty-one novels and over a hundred short stories. He was also an award-winning broadcaster on RTÉ television. Son of an Irish father ...

was the presenter and scriptwriter. Each half-hour edition focused on a specific subject, such as a commercial or state enterprise, an aspect of Irish culture, or some notable feature of the country's landscape. In December 1964, Brian Cleeve received a Jacobs' Award for his contribution to the programme. However, in January 1966, it was announced that Cleeve was being dropped as the series' narrator because his voice was no longer felt to be suitable. Later that year, he left the programme completely to join the new ''

7 Days Seven Days or 7 Days may refer to: * Week, an amount of time Film * ''7 Days'' (2010 film) (''Les 7 jours du talion''), Canadian thriller film * ''7 Days'' (2021 film), American romantic comedy film * ''Seven Days'' (1925 film), American silent ...

'' team. Following Cleeve's departure, ''Discovery'' continued for another season using a number of alternative presenters, such as Paddy Gallagher, John Skehan, Michael Viney, and

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...

.''RTÉ Guide'', 1 April 1966 In 2002, RTÉ screened digitally remastered versions of several of the original programmes. The topics covered included skydiving, mountaineering in the Wicklow mountains, and lighthouses off the Cork coast.

References

{{RTÉ Factual 1960s Irish television series 1964 Irish television series debuts Irish documentary television series RTÉ original programming