The BBC in Northern Ireland reflects the different aspects of community life and experience here. We produce high quality, distinctive programmes and services for audiences in Northern Ireland and across the UK.
In all of this our aim is to bring a diverse range of stories, voices and views to the BBC’s airwaves and showcase the best broadcasting talent.
In 2022/23 around 60 per cent of adults in Northern Ireland consumed BBC Northern Ireland content across online, television and radio.
Across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds, BBC One NI, BBC Two NI, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Foyle, BBC News NI and BBC Sport NI online, we provide news and current affairs content, sports coverage, factual programmes, documentaries, drama, comedy and entertainment, as well as Ulster-Scots and Irish Language programming.
Television
BBC Newsline, on BBC One NI at 6.30pm Mondays-Fridays, is our flagship regional news programme, supported by extended bulletins at lunchtime and late evenings and at weekends. The long-running and award-winning Spotlight series provides our audiences with insightful and hard-hitting investigative journalism on the stories that matter to them. Political and topical issues are discussed and debated on live programmes such as Nolan Live and The View.
Further genres are commissioned from the independent sector in Northern Ireland, helping to support the creative industries here. These include comedy, entertainment, documentary and drama, catering for a range of audiences. Some long-running content from the independent sector include comedy programmes The Blame Game and Give My Head Peace.
We also co-commission programmes from the independent sector with our network television colleagues, ensuring that Northern Ireland stories and voices are broadcast across the UK. Recent examples of these include the drama series Hope Street, the acclaimed documentary series Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland and factual entertainment series B&B By The Sea, The Fast And The Farmer-ish and Hotel People.
Across BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Two Northern Ireland we also broadcast a range of men’s and women’s sports, including rugby, soccer, GAA and golf, as well as highlights of major events like the NW200. And we bring Northern Ireland audiences a collection of Irish language and Ulster-Scots content, with support from the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots Broadcast Funds.
Radio
BBC Radio Ulster is one of the most listened to radio stations in Northern Ireland and one of the most successful local radio stations in the BBC’s portfolio.
Popular daytime programming include news programmes Good Morning Ulster and Evening Extra, audience interaction discussion programmes The Nolan Show and Talkback and music, chat and entertainment programmes with The Connor Phillips Show, Hugo Duncan, The Lynette Fay Show and Vinny & Cate. Throughout the evenings on the station we broadcast specialist music programming from presenters Ralph McLean, Eve Blair, Mickey Bradley and Stephen McAuley.
At weekends, the station broadcasts music and sport content and range of specialist interest programmes such as Gardeners’ Corner, consumer rights programme On Your Behalf, community programme Your Place And Mine, farming programme Countryside, arts programme The Culture Café and religious content, including Morning Service and Sounds Sacred.
Opt out service BBC Radio Foyle serves listeners in the North West with bespoke content North West Today, The Mark Patterson Show and Sean Coyle.
Programmes for BBC Radio Ulster audiences are produced in BBC Broadcasting House Belfast and from BBC Radio Foyle.
Digital
BBC Northern Ireland provides a wealth of content for audiences across its digital services, including BBC News NI, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and BBC Sport NI.
