Operation Transformation (TV series)

Operation Transformation
Created by Vision Independent Productions
Starring Gerry Ryan (2008-2010)
Evelyn O'Rourke (2008-2010)
Darren Kennedy (2010)
Kathryn Thomas (2011-2015)
John Murray (2011-2014)
Ray D'Arcy (2016–present)
Country of origin Ireland
No. of series 5
No. of episodes At least 16 (first two series)
Release
Original network RTÉ One
Original release 10 January 2008

Operation Transformation is a health and fitness programme airing on RTÉ One in Ireland. The show is a cross-media event broadcast via radio, web and television on RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ.ie and RTÉ One (dubbed the three-sixty by Gerry Ryan) since 2008. Prior to this it had been limited to radio but has since expanded onto the web and television. It is comparable to US television show The Biggest Loser.

The fifth series, which began in January 2012,[1] is hosted by Kathryn Thomas with the radio element provided by RTÉ Radio 1's The John Murray Show. Initially presented (up to season 2) by reporter Evelyn O'Rourke replaced by Darren Kennedy (season 3), the event saw six hopefuls, selected by Gerry Ryan on his radio show, attempt to reshape their lives as they are supported and guided by a panel of experts in the fields of fitness, nutrition and psychology in order to reach their individual goals. O'Rourke performed the role of "cheerleader" to her companion Gerry Ryan's "ringmaster".[2]

There are weekly updates on television (broadcast at 20:30 on Thursday nights), daily updates on radio and a 24/7 live webcam on a dedicated site within RTÉ.ie for a period of seven weeks. Each year the event culminates in a grand finale, in which the six contestants present their new selves to their loved ones and the viewing and listening public. Gerry Ryan himself said on air that he was two stone (13 kg) lighter following the 2008 event than he was before it began.[3] Several politicians took part in 2010. Gerry Ryan died suddenly in 2010, so the show ended up in the hands of Kathryn Thomas (TV) and RTÉ Radio 1's The John Murray Show in 2011.

Ray D'Arcy will co-present the show from 2016.

History

2008

Summary

The 2008 event saw six hopefuls, selected by Ryan on his radio show, attempt to reshape their lives as they were supported and guided by a panel of experts in the fields of fitness, nutrition and psychology in order to reach their individual goals. There were weekly updates on television (broadcast at 20:30 on Thursday nights), daily updates on radio and a 24/7 live webcam on a dedicated site within RTÉ.ie for a period of seven weeks. The event culminated in a grand finale from the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Swords, County Dublin, broadcast on Thursday 28 February 2008, in which the six contestants presented their new selves to their loved ones and the viewing and listening public.[4] The 2008 event had over 2 million hits.[5] Six months after the show's finale, the television programme Operation Transformation Revisited was commissioned to investigate the welfare of the contestants. 2008 contestant Donal Looney completed the Dublin Marathon inside four hours in 2009. It was reported that Eamon Joyce had hurt his knee and couldn't take part.[3]

Leaders

Three males and three females, selected from Ryan's radio listenership, partook in the television show. The final six participants were announced on Friday, 7 December 2007 on The Gerry Ryan Show.

Ryan caused upset when he suggested Violet O'Shea had not lost any weight despite following the programme. However, as she continued, she eventually did begin to lose weight. Her brother Christopher read a poem of encouragement on air and "the nation wept". Violet O'Shea is now five stone (32 kg).[3] Eamon Joyce lost four stone (25 kg) in total.[6]

Name Age
(at time of selection) 		Location Occupation
Eamonn Joyce[7] 36 Wicklow Chef
Evelyn Farrell[7] 37 Westmeath Accountant
Donal Looney[7] 42 Tipperary[8] Ready mix driver
Louise Collins[7] 21 Cork Pre-school teacher
Ollie Hannah Murtagh[7] 29 Monaghan Adult education teacher
Violet O'Shea[7] 44 Raheny Taxi driver
Experts

Four individuals sat on a panel of experts.

Name Profession Link
Dr. Eva Orsmond Medical doctor [9]
Dr. Ian Gargan Psychologist [10]
Karl Henry Personal trainer [11]
Marietta Doran Fashion stylist [12]

2009

Summary

OT 2009 was launched by Ryan and O'Rourke on The Gerry Ryan Show on 3 November 2008. For the first time, there was an Operation Transformation Roadshow, which took place at a number of destinations throughout November and December. Each morning, O'Rourke would be at the specified location and would report to GRS over the morning.[13]

Date Location
18 November 2008 Radisson SAS Hotel & Spa, Galway
20 November 2008 Sheraton Hotel & Spa Fota Island Resort, Cork
24 November 2008 Sheraton Athlone Hotel
2 December 2008 Burlington Hotel, Dublin

The show began airing on RTÉ radio, television and online in January 2009, accompanied by The Afternoon Show.[14]

Experts

Three individuals sat on a panel of experts.

Name Profession
Dr. Eva Orsmond Medical doctor
Karl Henry Personal trainer
Pat Henry Yoga therapist/Potentialist/Fitness consultant
Leaders

On 4 December, the final 25 appeared on The Gerry Ryan Show live from studio one "in the bowels" of RTÉ's Donnybrook studios.[15] The six leaders were announced on 8 December.[16] The show ran from 8 January until 26 February on RTÉ One. The website had over one million hits, a 41 per cent increase on the previous year.[17]

Name Age
(at time of selection) 		Location Weight
(at beginning of challenge) 		Target weight loss
Kelly Brouder 31 Limerick 14 st 13.5 lb (95.0 kg) 2 st (12.7 kg)
Keith Anthony 44 Cork 20 st 6.5 lbs (130.0 kg) 3 st (19.0 kg)
Mick Boyce 26 Dublin 17 st (108.0 kg) 2.5 st (15.9 kg)
Colette Cronin 33 Dundalk 14 st 11 lbs (93.9 kg) 2 st (12.7 kg)
Denise Ryan 28 Tipperary 19 st 8 lbs (124.3 kg) 3 st (19.0 kg)
Jean Kelly 47 Dublin 14 st 1 lb (89.4 kg) 1.5 st (9.5 kg)

2010

Summary

OT 2010 began on television at 20:00 on RTÉ One on 13 January 2010. For the first time politicians, including the now internationally famous Paul Gogarty,[18] took part.[19] Gerry Ryan appeared on The Late Late Show to discuss the programme on 15 January 2010.[20]

Ciara Dunne (a nurse),[21] Amanda Casey, Conor O'Connor, Anna Naughton and Penny Dwyer all participated.[22]

They lost more than ten stones (63 kg) in weight between them all during the series.[23] Deputy Seán Connick shed 20 pounds (9.1 kg).[24] Senator Nicky McFadden shed 22 pounds (10.0 kg).[25] Deputy Fergus O'Dowd shed 24½ pounds (11.1 kg).[26]

The final episode of the series was broadcast on 3 March 2010.[23] The website achieved at least 3 million hits during the series.[23][27]

The first three episodes of the series each attracted a 30.97 audience share.[22]

Reviewing the finale for The Irish Times, Kevin Courtney observed the "non-stop soundtrack of classic pop songs [which] resembled a 2FM show from the 1980s".[28]

2011

Summary

Five people were chosen: Rachel Walker (Tallaght, County Dublin); Sinead Heffernan (Enfield, County Meath); Emily Piggott (Killarney, County Kerry); Ronan Scully (Knocknacarra, County Galway).[1] The series was broadcast on television from 5 January 2011.[1] The five appeared alongside Kathryn Thomas on The Late Late Show on 14 January 2011.[29]

2012

Summary

Five people were chosen: Adrian Brereton (Edenderry, County Offaly); Natalie Cox (Crumlin, Dublin); Kayleigh Yeoman (Limerick); Grace Batterberry (Castletownroche, County Cork); Killian Byrne (Rathfarnham, County Dublin).[30] They appeared on The Saturday Night Show on 7 January 2012.[31] The first episode, broadcast on 4 January 2012, attracted more viewers than the previous year's series.[32] The participants had shed more than six stone (38 kg) of fat from their bodies by the halfway mark.[33] One of the leaders nearly quit, which would have been the first time it happened.[34]

Viewers also downloaded a fake app to the annoyance of RTÉ.[35]

Thousands of people took part in the Operation Transformation 5k Fun Run in the Phoenix Park on 18 February 2012.[36]

The leaders lost more than 11 stone (5 kg) between them over the series.[37][38] Killian Byrne lost the most weight: 3 st 4.5 lbs (21.1 kg).[39] Grace Batterberry became a poster girl for anti-smoking and cancer prevention.[40]

2014

This time they managed to lose over 13 stone.[41] Paudie O'Mahony was a leader.[42]

2015

Experts

Three individuals sat on a panel of experts.

Name Profession
Aoife HearneDietician
Karl Henry Personal trainer
Dr. Ciara KellyDoctor

Leaders

Name Age
(at time of selection) 		Location Weight
(at beginning of challenge) 		Target weight loss
Mark McArdle [43]44Louth
Louise Ormsby 44 Dublin
Veronica Horgan 26 Cork
Eilish Kavanagh 33 Wexford
Alan Mullen 28 Westmeath

International

In 2013, the rights to the format were snapped up by Belgian and Dutch television stations. The Belgian version was entitled Let's Get Fit. Programme producer Philip Kampff had expressed wanting to pitch it to the United States previously, but was finding it difficult, due to the non-competitive nature of the format.[44] However, the following year, it was reported that an American broadcaster was interested in the format.[45]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Five chosen for Operation Transformation". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 4 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  2. ↑ "Diet Hard II". RTÉ Guide. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 GRS. 3 November 2008.
  4. ↑ McElroy, Naomi (24 February 2008). "TELLY Vision: The Best ... HEALTH - Operation Transformation RTÉ1,". BNET originally published in the Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  5. ↑ The Gerry Ryan Show. RTÉ 2fm. 3 November 2008.
  6. ↑ Evelyn O'Rourke. GRS. 10 November 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Guinea Pigs". RTÉ Guide. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2009.
  8. ↑ "Donal gets healthy in Operation Transformation". Nenagh Guardian. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  9. ↑ Dr. Eva Orsmond. Expert Panel. Operation Transformation.
  10. ↑ Ian Gargan. Expert Panel. Operation Transformation.
  11. ↑ Karl Henry. Expert Panel. Operation Transformation.
  12. ↑ Marietta Doran. Expert Panel. Operation Transformation.
  13. ↑ "Operation Transformation". RTÉ 2fm. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
  14. ↑ "The Afternoon Show Operation Transformation". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
  15. ↑ GRS RTÉ 2fm. 4 December 2008.
  16. ↑ "RTÉ announces six new OT leaders". RTÉ Arts. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 9 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
  17. ↑ "A million Gerry diet fans go online". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  18. ↑ Doyle, Kevin (31 December 2009). "Gogarty's F-word rant wins pat on back from voters". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  19. ↑ Maher, Damien (4 January 2010). "Shape up: Learn to take control in the New Year". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  20. ↑ "Tubridy joined by Oscar nominee on LLS". RTÉ Arts. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  21. ↑ Finn, Melanie (24 February 2010). "Dieting hero Ciara's shopping spree to celebrate new shape". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  22. 1 2 Finn, Melanie (29 January 2010). "How Ireland is hooked on Gerry's weight loss show". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  23. 1 2 3 "OT leaders have shed over 10 stone". RTÉ Arts. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 3 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  24. ↑ "Deputy Connick 'thrilled' over transformation". New Ross Standard. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  25. ↑ "Nicky sheds 22 pounds in TV show". Westmeath Independent. 3 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  26. ↑ "TD sheds pounds by taking oriental route". Drogheda Independent. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  27. ↑ Finn, Melanie (3 March 2010). "Operation Transformation ratings swell as final figures are revealed". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  28. ↑ Courtney, Kevin (6 March 2010). "Rescue missions". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2010. Pot, kettle, black issues aside, Ryan seemed unsuited to the role of the nation’s Mr Motivator. As he met each leader and announced how much weight they had lost, he could have been tallying up the totals on “Winning Streak of Bacon”. It doesn't help that the programme's non-stop soundtrack of classic pop songs resembled a 2FM show from the 1980s.
  29. ↑ "Guests revealed for The Late Late Show". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  30. ↑ "Operation Transformation leaders selected". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  31. ↑ "Rachel Allen among O'Connor's guests". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  32. ↑ Campos, Adelina (7 January 2012). "Operation Transformation piles on the viewers as 600,000 watch first show: PEAK: 36,600 more viewers than last year". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  33. ↑ "OT leaders leave six stone behind". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 26 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  34. ↑ Campos, Adelina (9 February 2012). "OT's plucky Natalie is back on track after shedding 4lbs". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  35. ↑ Campos, Adelina (11 February 2012). "RTÉ not Appy over unapproved Operation Transformation tie-in". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  36. ↑ "Thousands take part in OT run". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 18 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  37. ↑ "OT leaders lose over 11 stone". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  38. ↑ Finn, Melanie (22 February 2012). "I hope I'll be back next year -- Kathryn". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  39. ↑ "Killian is diet king". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  40. ↑ Campos, Adelina (21 February 2012). "Op Trans' Grace is the poster girl for quitting smoking . . .". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  41. ↑ "Six OT leaders lose over 13 stone". RTÉ Ten. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  42. ↑ "Kerry GAA star is fourth OT leader". RTÉ. 29 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  43. ↑ "Operation Transformation leader loses an extra 22 pounds since show ended". evoke.ie. 18 May 2015.
  44. ↑ http://thestar.ie/rtes-operation-transformation-goes-global/
  45. ↑ http://independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/us-station-eyeing-up-operation-transformation-30034075.html
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