A host of Irish stars have slammed RTÉ’s decision to cancel the return of The Den.
The popular programme returned to RTÉ One last November, and viewers loved the wacky antics of Dustin the Turkey, Zig and Zag, and Ray D’Arcy.
At the end of July, Ray confirmed that The Den would be back on RTÉ One in January 2022.
But in a surprising turn of events on Tuesday, Double Z, the creators of Zig and Zag, announced that the show wouldn’t be coming back after all.
Taking to Twitter, they wrote: “We found out from the bosses that #TheDen won’t be coming back after all! Thankz to all the old fans and the new ones for tuning in! We had a blast!”
Fans of the show were outraged by RTÉ’s decision, as the programme was a huge success when it returned to our screens last year.
Well, sad news to report today. We found out from the bosses that #TheDen won’t be coming back after all! Thankz to all the old fans and the new ones for tuning in! We had a blast! pic.twitter.com/q3suLJQg85
— ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴢ 💥 (@DoubleZCreative) October 5, 2021
A host of well-known faces were equally disappointed, including Ian Dempsey – who hosted the original series.
Reacting to the news on Twitter, Ian wrote: “Popular TV, perfect for all the social platforms too, inexpensive to produce and enticing a new young audience. Why drop it?”
Meanwhile, comedian Kevin McGahern tweeted: “SAVE #TheDen!!!”
Popular TV, perfect for all the social platforms too, inexpensive to produce and enticing a new young audience. Why drop it? https://t.co/wJ6R02TMVG
— Ian Dempsey (@IanDempsey) October 5, 2021
SAVE #TheDen !!!
And if there’s time
#merchantsArch pic.twitter.com/plYGzznz1T— Kevin McGahern (@kevinmcgahern) October 5, 2021
Sinead Quinlan, who was The Den’s roving reporter last year, also tweeted her disappointment.
She wrote: “Somebody make it make sense. My head hurts trying to understand this since I heard the news. These bais brought nothing but joy in the darkest of times. Highlight of my life working with my Den family. Love you guys.”
Another star outraged by the news was Maia Dunphy, who tweeted: “Beyond a travesty. The protest starts tomorrow folks. I’ll make the banners – who’s with me?”
SOMEBODY MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!!!!💔 My head hurts trying to understand this since I heard the news. These bais brought nothing but joy in the darkest of times. Highlight of my life working with my Den family. Love you guys xxx #theden pic.twitter.com/EqPtTkPR18
— Sinéad Quinlan (@SineadQuinlan_) October 5, 2021
Beyond a travesty. The protest starts tomorrow folks. I’ll make the banners – who’s with me?🤬 https://t.co/BDflQLtBKR
— Maïa Dunphy (@MaiaDunphy) October 5, 2021
