Live at 3 was a popular Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 afternoon chat show broadcast live on RTÉ 1. Presented by Thelma Mansfield and Derek Davis

Derek Davis

Derek Orlando Davis is an Irish broadcaster. On television, he has co-hosted Live at 3, presented Out of the Blue and won Celebrity Bainisteoir.-Early life:...

, it was RTÉ

Raidió Teilifís Éireann

Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

's flagship daytime show from 1986 until 1997.

History

In 1986 RTÉ had a new corporate brand for both of its stations RTÉ 1 and RTÉ 2. As a result of this the daytime service split its programming between adults and children. Good Afternoon, broadcast on RTÉ 1 for several years, saw Thelma Mansfield at the helm introducing both children's and adult programming such as Defenders of Earth followed by Emmerdale Farm. She also carried out interviews with musicians and other well known people. From 1986 Good Afternoon remained but Ian Dempsey

Ian Dempsey

Ian Michael Dempsey is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show on Today FM, self-titled The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, which runs from 07:00 - 09:00 each weekday morning...

, accompanied by Zig and Zag

Zig and Zag

Zig and Zag may refer to:*Zig and Zag , Jack Perry and Doug McKenzie, a clown duo who appeared on Australian television from 1957-1969....

, took control of introducing children's programming from 4:30pm with a new show called Dempsey's Den

The Den

*Football stadiums:**The Den, formerly known as The New Den and the current home of Millwall FC, located in Bermondsey, London, SE16**The Den , a football stadium once the home of Millwall FC, located in New Cross, London, SE14...

. This was preceded by a new magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

-style show called Live at 3.

Production

The first edition of Live at 3 was broadcast from Studio 4 in the RTÉ Television Centre

RTÉ Television Centre

RTÉ Television Centre is a television studio complex which is owned by Radio Telefís Éireann and has been home to the national broadcaster of Ireland since 1961. It is situated at Montrose, Donnybrook, Dublin 4...

 at Donnybrook

Donnybrook, Dublin

Donnybrook is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ. It was once part of the Pembroke Township...

, Dublin 4

Dublin 4

Dublin 4 is a postal district of Dublin, Ireland including the suburbs of Sandymount, Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Ringsend and Irishtown on the South side of Dublin....

. This was the first studio to be brought into full operation at RTÉ since the Television Centre was built in 1961. The studio was completed in 1982 but was not fully equipped until four years later.

Thelma Mansfield's petrol trip in the West of Ireland

One day Thelma Mansfield, the co-host of Live at 3, went shopping for petrol in the West of Ireland. It was 1997. The trip would prove to be a memorable one. She found a garage to buy her petrol. Then she noticed a newspaper headline on a stand. The newspaper headline said Live at 3 was going to be axed by RTÉ. She had had no idea this was about to happen. But happen it did.