The Den on RTE TWO

OpenYourEyes

Agricola wrote: »

Fermot and the Noggin,
Out in Ballybrack, doin abit a snoggin'
Floggin, joggin, out in Sallynoggin,
Go Onnnnnnnnnnn outa dat, who are ya coddin'!



It was was first class kids tv. It had the same quality as films like Shrek. It was great because it worked for young kids on one level, teenagers on another. And a good few adults too. Id probably skyplus it if it was on today.

I seem to remember it as "got me mott in the back and we're doin' a bitta snoggin' ". Entirely possible both were used at various times though

Turtles, Batman and James Bond junior were my favourites of the programmes they used to show!

wyrn

I loved Dempsey's Den! I remember Ian telling them that if they didn't behave santa wouldn't give them any presents! Ray was a great presenter. The fights with Ted were legendary. I still use my Z Brothers mug.

It was always the thing to rush home after school to see if you could see the opening credits and then 3 hours of laughter. James Bond jr. was probably the best cartoon they had.

I loved all the alter egos such as Johnny Cool Space Detective! I still have their tape of Never Mind the Zogabonds - and this is my favourite song along with the Bellybutton Fluff song. Hahaha I still know all the words! It was educational - it's where I learned what kleptomaniac meant "someone who robs stuff. No no that's someone who loves Kleps. Someone who robs stuff is a robber".

Mars Bar

This has been one of the better threads in AH in a while IMO!

I'm gonna go into the attic later and find my Zig and Zag teddy bears! Loved the Den and I used to impersonate Snotzer. Dustin is something else, the things he got away with saying on air at times was unbelievable, even if ya didn't recognise it back then!

I had a table I'd pull out in front of the TV and I'd do my homework while watching The Den.

johnmcdnl

ahhh god I'm gonna miss those days - We're never gonna see the likes again

Kimono-Girl

mars bar wrote: »

I'm gonna go into the attic later and find my Zig and Zag teddy bears! .

Still have mine on my bed in my grandmothers house!

I loved the Den!! Growing up with Zig and Zag and Ted, and Bosco and Dustin and the whole gang was the best EVER! I tried to explain it once to a friend of mine from South Africa and he couldn't grasp the appeal...:eek: He missed out big time!

My favourite had to be evil Ted attacking Darcy! it was always so funny! or the Christmas special shown every year i bought the Zig and Zag Dvd recently and watched it and tbh i enjoyed it even now!

Some cartoons today aren't too bad but there are so many out there it's hard to find good ones.

nothing will replace the likes of Power Rangers (before they were turbo'd or whatever they are now), Teenage Mutent Hero Turtles, Transformers....etc...

although i do enjoy Blues clues, Recess, Phineas & Ferb and Spongebob Squarepants!

The Den hasn't been as good in years though :rolleyes: and i can see why they are scrapping it!

JuliusCaesar

A Christmas, back in the 90s. All the family around and I was watching The Den with the kids. Ray excuses himself and leaves the studio and next you hear footsteps going upstairs, and the sound of peeing - Dustin laughing his head off and saying, we left Ray's mike on.

I couldn't believe RTE was allowing this. Me and kids were breaking ourselves laughing.

Yakult

Ah remembering Dustin's little green jacket. Those were the days and I always say when I see these modern day cartoons, we were lucky to have the Den. A great laugh.

ironictoaster

This is briiliant, I can't understand your English accent!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBfTQsubLE8

Ave Sodalis

storm2811 wrote: »

Can't believe that, even though it has gotten seriously shite these days.

Is it still that blonde doll presenting it. Ugh she was terrible! ''round up down, round up down. Now boys and girls you know the letter A'' .....Wdf?? I know my abc's and hadn't a clue what she was on about..

Sad to see it go though. Spent the best part of my childhood watching Den2 or the Den

Ollchailin

wyrn wrote: »

I loved Dempsey's Den! I remember Ian telling them that if they didn't behave santa wouldn't give them any presents! Ray was a great presenter. The fights with Ted were legendary. I still use my Z Brothers mug.

It was always the thing to rush home after school to see if you could see the opening credits and then 3 hours of laughter. James Bond jr. was probably the best cartoon they had.

I loved all the alter egos such as Johnny Cool Space Detective! I still have their tape of Never Mind the Zogabonds - and this is my favourite song along with the Bellybutton Fluff song. Hahaha I still know all the words! It was educational - it's where I learned what kleptomaniac meant "someone who robs stuff. No no that's someone who loves Kleps. Someone who robs stuff is a robber".

That Bellybutton Fluff song is absolutely brilliant. I have that tape somewhere as well, it's just genius.

It wasn't so much a thing of loving The Den, it was just something that became part of your day the same as school & eating & sleeping did. It was so clever, and I really do honestly believe that we were so lucky to grow up in a time when it was on telly. There's so much stuff on telly now that anyone in the world could be watching- some of it really good, like Spongebob, but a lot of it is just bland.

But The Den was uniquely Irish, but without being twee. It was so funny & you could tell that they genuinely loved being there- when Ray D'arcy or Ian Dempsey started laughing, it was infectious. There's a tendency in RTE to be all "now" and "modern" etc for young people's telly, which is ridiculous because there is nothing worse than watching something that's trying too hard. That's what was so great about the Den- you felt like they weren't even trying, that they just wanted you to be part of their fun world. It wasn't cringey like those "trendy young presenters" with their trying-too-hard hair & unfunny jokes they have now. It was simple & fun.

My favourite Den moments include these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZBT3Yd9A0Y

This one is particularly brilliant from 6.50 onwards:

"I met the children of Lir before they were children", brilliant:

Ah, good times...

laugh

Did Zag make a machine to turn toenail clippings into electricity?

Bonkers_xOx

They don't make children's tv like they used to. Dustin is great, I would laugh at him as a kid, and now I laugh at his 'adult' jokes. (You know the ones that you would ask your mam what they meant and she would say "You wouldn't understand.") It's all... educational... and... safe tv now. What good does that have on kids minds!:P

clikityclak

Ah The Den was epic. Ray is the presenter I remember as been the best. He always had to apologise for what dustin was saying or trying to answer awkward questions from socky! Me and my sister used to love the 'yes/no gameshow' for some reason. The christmas specials were soooooo good, there's nothing like it on the telly anymore for the young 'uns. Go on ya good thing!!!!!!!!

Also the flap flaps were feckin great!

Copper23

Actually, someone mentioned a reunion or something earlier...

2 Christmasses ago the Ray Darcy show did a reunion on the radio and had a lot of the old people... Ray and Ian were there, Zig and Zag, Dustin, Don, Simon Young and all them...

they pod casted it, was hilarious but not sure if it's still up on iTunes, it was a good while back now.

dan185

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

Ah no, productivity out the window until someone posts up that song.

I had it on tape, had the books and used to watch it every evening. On a serious nostalgia buzz reading this thread.

Edit: Good on Ronnie for getting involved in this, can't believe how young he looks here. Another legend gone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XMcbQHQyno

thats my favourite thing to do with the Den ever, thanks for posting. I'm all nostalgic now

remember Dustin's big green van! There was a cd (or tape) of his where he's driving that on the cover, I'm nearly sure Spanish Lady was on that

edit: jaysus my head's not got a great attention for detail. It was a white van, and it was in the video:D

Sizzler

One of the TV reviewers on today fm summed it up for me earlier today when he said that even though he knew he was probably too old to watch the show when he was in his latter secondary school years he still found himself rushing home to watch the show......such mass appeal, part of several generations of Irish people, phenomenal really :cool:

OPENROAD

Sizzler wrote: »

One of the TV reviewers on today fm summed it up for me earlier today when he said that even though he knew he was probably too old to watch the show when he was in his latter secondary school years he still found himself rushing home to watch the show......such mass appeal, part of several generations of Irish people, phenomenal really :cool:

I used to record it when I was in college, even when I started work, just for Dustin, as I said earlier how did RTE get away with the stuff he used to come out with :eek:

lorebringer

http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/rte-will-lock-up-the-den-for-good-2010-09/?h=671

It will always be Ray, Zig, Zag, Zuppy and Ted to me

Pookah

The Den enD.

Black Swan

It's a Rumour

lorebringer

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

It's a Rumour

From the Rumour Room?!

Black Swan

lorebringer wrote: »

From the Rumour Room?!

Katie and Jarlath are spreading them.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Same stuff, different package. As long as Mary "well hello thar, boyes and guurls" Kingston isn't doing it.

I notice they've got RTEjr fun under sixes and TRTE for teenagers, are they ignoring kids in between then?

Jeanious

The fcuking Rumour Room?! What kid can even manage to say that properly?! And TRTE and RTEjr, they even look horrible written down!

MagicMarker

coyle wrote: »

The fcuking Rumour Room?! What kid can even manage to say that properly?! And TRTE and RTEjr, they even look horrible written down!

''The Womber Womb''

watna

This thread has brought back some very happy memories. I'd forgotten that Ray used to fight Ted. I've been laughing away and trying to explain the den to my kiwi OH but you really had to grow up with it.

I remember once Socky ran away because Dustin any Ray were mean to him and me and my friend wrote a letter telling them off!

Galway K9

As far as i know.

Dustin and socky are John and Joe Morrison.

and Zig and Zag, Podge and Rodge are same voices.

Tchaikovsky

You know when you look at repeats of old kids tv shows you used to watch and in retrospect you realise they were rubbish?
After watching videos of the Den on YouTube, it was fantastic; so witty and fun- there was a great freedom to what they could do and say and it appealed to all ages, ala the Simpsons in their prime. RTE get criticised alot, rightly so most of the time, but when they get things right, they get them spot-on.
Stuff like Podge saying that Peig Sayers actually had 75 children and Dustin taking the p1ss out of everyone were amazing- but RTE has gone the way of BBC now, full of disclaimers and afraid to offend anyone.
Kids are too nannied these days, transported to and from school in SUV spaceships, everything timetabled... they should be open to as much lunacy as possible!!

Precious flower

I loved the Den in the nineties, These kids nowadays don't know what their missing!:p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhuNhGMiuWA&feature=related

niamhallen

I was on the den:D highlight of my life:)

eimearcmh

Denzil2222 wrote: »

Does anybody remember Francis boylon jr the final presenter of the normal den ?

God yeah! He had red hair didn't he. Really jolly chap.

we'llallhavetea_old

i have to say i'm a tad emotional reading this thread.

i loved the den, christmas specials were so exciting, and the ted fights were brilliant. i always wanted a zuppy all my own too, it used to break my heart that i couldn't have him for real!

my daughter doesn't have anything remotely like the den to watch and i feel sad for her tbh

Acacia

Grew up on the Den during the Ray Darcy and Damien Whatshisname years. Christmas and Halloween specials were gas, and Podge freaked the fcuk out of me. I remember Dustin going mental at Zig and Zag saying they betrayed the children of Ireland by going to Channel 4 , and Socky and Geri May... twas quality programming at one stage then it went to crap. Or maybe I'm just old and cynical now.

Does anyone remember Dustin's radio station and when he ran for election?! Ah, memories.

coffeelover

Omg I can't believe its finishing Absolutly loved it those were the days

Riddle101

The Den was deadly. I remember it used to be on after Bosco, but I just loved it. No commercials or ads when shows were on too I think, so you were able to watch the episodes without interruptions

Degsy

Me and a friend used to do a sort of comedy/punk fanzine thing years ago.

Running jokes that we had as well as chunks of material were appearing on The Den and we had to contact RTE and threaten them with legal action if they didnt stop ripping off our material.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Degsy wrote: »

Me and a friend used to do a sort of comedy/punk fanzine thing years ago.

Running jokes that we had as well as chunks of material were appearing on The Den and we had to contact RTE and threaten them with legal action if they didnt stop ripping off our material.

That's interesting. Did they stop? Do you remember what they took?

caroiline

Can't believe its ending even though it got ****e over the past few years !!

Loved the days with ray n the gang .. !

Lone Stone

Ahh thats a shame i have fond memorys of that show drawing zig and zag back in the late 80's early 90's. But Frankly if it means less kids having dustin the nacker as a role model the better !

Denzil2222

Lone Stone wrote: »

Ahh thats a shame i have fond memorys of that show drawing zig and zag back in the late 80's early 90's. But Frankly if it means less kids having dustin the nacker as a role model the better !

Dustin has not been on the den for a couple of years, things went down hill for him after going to the eurovision song contest.

IMMA CHARGIN MAH LAZER

Zig and Zag were great, always used to talk about them in school. But Roland Rat was their first.

Denzil2222

The worst thing about the den the last couple of years is that it showed nothing but repeats repeats and more repeats, sabrina the teenage witch for example was always being repeated for years, no wonder kids these days are only watching the digital stations.

cats.life

the day that zig and zag left the den i stoped watching it, they broke my heart when they went back to zog..

smiley girl

Does anyone remember the Make Me Smile bit on the den?
I was on it! Myself & my friend wrote in and got picked

pablomakaveli

I was reading about the replacement show today and apparently that blonde one will still be on it and they'll have new puppets.

I doubt it will be ever as good as the den was though.

maameeo

i listen to Ray in work everyday and anytime he talks about the den or talks to zig and zag or dustin he gets right back into 'mammy ray' character!

awww i loved running home from school to watch the den, first tv addiction.

Reckon they'll make a best bits dvd?

dfx-

This thread has nothing whatsoever to do with toast

Unfortunately

Tchaikovsky

"A Tijuana gypsy stole my personal stereo, no more REM or Elvis Costello!"

Riddle101

Anyone remember the Yes/No gameshow. used to play the game all the time with my friends

Stephen

The rumour room sounds like a ****ty nightclub to me.