The entertainment format, fronted by Irish comedy and music duo The 2 Johnnies, will return with seven 50-minute episodes filmed as-live inside a real rural Irish pub, with a lively audience providing the atmosphere. The show combines celebrity interviews, live performances, comedy, games and unexpected encounters with members of the public. The series has won the RTS NI Award for Best Entertainment for the past two consecutive years. Its previous seasons have also delivered strong ratings for RTÉ2, more than doubling the channel's average audience in the 9.35pm slot. Viewership has continued to grow throughout each episode. The 2 Johnnies — Johnny O'Brien and Johnny McMahon — have become major entertainment names in Ireland, regularly performing to stadium-sized audiences. The duo has also toured in the US, Australia and New Zealand and has hosted Ireland's number one podcast for several years.
The fourth season was commissioned for RTÉ by Alan Tyler, Group Head of Entertainment & Music, with Katherine Drohan serving as Commissioning Editor. Stephen Stewart is Executive Producer for Green Inc, Jeremy Salsby is Series Producer and Paul McKay directs. "Late Night Lock In is a brilliantly simple comedy entertainment format fronted by two simply brilliant hosts. It immediately resonated right across platforms and has thoroughly deserved the audiences and awards that have come its way. We are thrilled to be back at the bar for a further series." said Alan Tyler, Group Head of Entertainment & Music at RTÉ.
Stephen Stewart, Founder and MD of Green Inc, said: "The Lock In works because it taps into the massive Irish heartland rural audience who resonate with the 2 Johnnies and enjoy a good night’s craic with them and their guests. We shoot in a real pub with a real crowd, and the TV audiences clearly love the pure fun and energy that the boys bring, which is why the numbers build across the hour. The 2 Johnnies are undoubtedly Ireland’s hottest entertainment talents and this fourth season lets us keep growing the format and audience around them,"
Alongside the renewal, Green Inc has been awarded the production of Up For The Match, following an RTÉ tender. The move marks one of the first major RTÉ studio entertainment productions to be commissioned from an independent producer after decades of being produced in-house. The two 90-minute live specials will be broadcast from Croke Park Stadium ahead of the All-Ireland GAA hurling and football finals. Each programme will feature 300 supporters representing the competing counties, with Jacqui Hurley returning to the presenting team alongside RTÉ veteran Dáithí O'Sé and Louise Cantillon.
The specials will combine interviews with GAA legends and current players with games and conversations involving fans. They will also feature films highlighting the supporters and traditions of the finalist counties, as well as behind-the-scenes segments featuring staff at Croke Park.
