For God and Ulster
Ian Paisley was renowned for denouncing anything he believed inconsistent with God's plan. In the late 70s, the gay rights movement felt Paisley's wrath during their fight to decriminalise consensual gay sex in Northern Ireland. His protest to 'Save Ulster from Sodomy' failed, but it grounded his position as the representative of so-called traditional values.
The DUP, Paisley's political party, espoused these same values, combined with a hardline unionist stance. This attracted new young talent, the most ambitious being young estate agent Peter Robinson. Robinson's election in 1979 was vindication for Paisley: he was no longer a one-man band, but the leader of a movement.
Amidst the bloodiest years of the Troubles, Paisley became a Unionist figurehead, attracting the largest crowds Northern Ireland had ever seen for his impassioned ‘Never, Never, Never' speech. Emboldened, he provided political cover to a new paramilitary-styled group, Ulster Resistance.
Ian Paisley's hope was that some of his five children would play a part in his dynasty. Daughter Rhonda was involved in the church and was an elected councillor, while twin sons, Kyle and Ian Jr, showed promise in the worlds of preaching and politics. With wife Eileen as his constant guide, the future was looking bright for the House of Paisley.
But the 90s witnessed a shift in the political landscape, heralded by both the IRA and Loyalist paramilitary ceasefires. Paisley loudly denounced the 1998 peace talks but found himself out of step with a NI majority, who seemed weary of violence. Ian Paisley and the DUP were struggling for significance in the world of more progressive politics. The man who had moved from the outside to the forefront of Unionism found himself cut adrift.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Out There
A drama that will depict the stealthy, surreptitious invasion of the land our farmers cherish, with devastating consequences, as his livelihood, homestead and family life are threatened by local county lines drugs dealers, essentially urban gangs using the British countryside as a field of operations, moving drugs and money between their inner-city hubs and provincial areas.
Landman
Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it's reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.
Happy's Place
Happy's Place follows Bobbie who inherits her father's restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.
Cold Case Files
The return of Cold Case Files will explore compelling new cases that have gone cold for years and chronicle the journeys of the detectives who reopened them. The detectives relive the events of the crimes, reveal new twists and startling revelations for full viewer immersion into these tragic cases, relying on breakthroughs in forensic technology and the influence of social media to help crack these cases - bringing long-awaited closure to the victim's families and friends.
The Big Fat Quiz
The Big Fat Quiz is an annual British television programme broadcast on the last Sunday of the year on Channel 4. Essentially, the show is a comedy panel show in the style of a pub quiz. Three teams, of two celebrities each, are asked questions relating to the events of the year just gone by, which they write answers to on an electronic board in front of them. At the end of each round, they then display their answers, scoring a point for each correct one. The first edition was broadcast in December 2004. There has been another at the end of each year since, as well as a special edition in November 2007 for Channel 4's 25th anniversary celebrations.