 TheiTunes cover art ofChris and Ciara | |
| Other names | Bottom of the Barrel |
|---|---|
| Genre | Talk and music |
| Running time | 2 hours (11:00 am – 1:00 pm) |
| Country of origin | Republic of Ireland |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | RTÉ 2fm |
| Hosted by | Chris Greene Ciara King |
| Produced by | Zbyszek Zalinski |
| Recording studio | RTÉ Radio Centre |
| Original release | 2 March 2014 (2014-03-02) |
| Opening theme | "Talk Like That" byThe Presets |
| Ending theme | "Amhrán na bhFiann" |
| Website | RTÉ 2fm homepage |
Chris and Ciara, formerly titledBottom of the Barrel, is an Irish radio show onRTÉ 2fm hosted byChris Greene and Ciara King. It is broadcast on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11am (previously Sunday-Thursday from 10pm), and consists ofcontemporary hits andcomedicpop culture-focused talk segments. The show features film and celebrity news quizzes and a "Rap Off" in which Greene and King compete, as well as interviews and guests such as 2fm's Emma Power and DJ Mo K, Brian M. Lloyd fromentertainment.ie,Blindboy Boatclub ofThe Rubberbandits, and the self-styled dating expert the Galway Player. King reads from her teenage diary every Wednesday, and the presenters often readtext messages andtweets sent by listeners.
The show was introduced in March 2014 after its presenters leftiRadio, as part of a reorganisation of 2fm by the head of the station, Dan Healy. The programme has been praised for its irreverence and the chemistry between its presenters, but also criticised for its gratuitous use of profanity. Its podcasts were selected foriTunes' Best of 2014 list.
The show is broadcast from Saturday to Sunday, starting at 11 am.[1] It lasts two hours (although it previously lasted three before 8 February 2016), and is interspersed with regular music, news and promotional trails. On Sundays, the talk element of the show consists ofclips from previous episodes. Regular features from Monday to Thursday include:
The presenters met ati105-107FM – where Greene had worked since 2007, and King since 2008[3] – when Greene covered for a presenter who was ill for a week.[4] The pair hosted the programmeThe Third i, broadcast on weekdays from 1 to 4 pm, and repeated from 1 to 4 am – the station's website saidThe Third i was "about nothing. Even fans of the show openly admit it is pointless and goes nowhere".[5] The station merged with its sister stationi102-104FM to formiRadio; they hosted its programmeThe Cracked i from 2011.[3]The Cracked i was described by the station as "extreme, unpredictable, random radio",[6] and was broadcast between 9:50 pm and 12:50 pm on weeknights.[7] In April 2013, iRadio founder Dan Healy was appointed the head of RTÉ 2fm,[8] a station which had suffered a fallingaudience share since thedeath of presenter Gerry Ryan in 2010; Healy has said that "When Gerry Ryan passed away, so did 2fm".[9] According toUna Mullally ofThe Irish Times, 2fm "abandoned its youth audience" by importing presenters who had "passed their prime".[10] Healy radically changed the station's programming and music, introducing shows such asBreakfast Republic,The Nicky Byrne Show andThe Early, Early Breakfast Show withLottie Ryan.[9] As part of this reshuffle, Greene and King left iRadio in order to host a late-night show on 2fm,[2] although Greene joked that they would be "focusing on a career in pornography".[3]
Una Mullally ofThe Irish Times described how "Bottom of the Barrel brought me back to some of my favourite radio shows, shows where you felt there was a real connection between both the people in studio and the presenters with their audience", comparing it toSara Cox onThe Radio 1 Breakfast Show andRick O'Shea. She said that the show "is making me listen to 2fm again" and that "[Greene and King's] chemistry is fantastic, their references and asides are brilliant [and] their indignant outsiderness is hilarious".[10] TheSunday Independent'sEilis O'Hanlon described the programme as "far more entertaining" thanBreakfast Republic, 2fm's breakfast show.[11] Writing for JOE.ie, Joe Harrington describedChris and Ciara's podcasts as "weird, clever, current and very funny".[12]
However,The Herald's John Byrne criticised the show's use of profanity, describing it as "a steady stream of boob, knob and masturbation jokes". Comparing it toBreakfast Republic, Byrne said that "Bottom of the Barrel is clearly keen to sell itself as a rude, rambling and anarchic alternative to the polished and 'professional' offerings found on other parts of the dial". He also criticised the presenters' "drearily predictable gender dynamic", saying that "Greene was free to be the wacky and provocative male, while King was frequently relegated to the role of a 'responsible', tut-tutting and disapproving ... female sidekick." Despite this, Byrne noted that the show contained some of the "playfulness and irreverence that Irish radio sorely needs far more of".[13] When Greene and King stood in forRyan Tubridy'sdaytime show during his stint atBBC Radio 2, theIrish Independent reported that some listeners "were less than impressed" and "have accused the broadcaster of isolating older audiences".[1]
Chris and Ciara'spodcasts were selected for the Best of 2014 list byiTunes, who said "Never taking themselves too seriously, this night time comedy duo can deftly slip from an impromptu rap-off into reciting hilarious teen poetry. We enjoy their talent and ability to capture the buzz of now." Dan Healy described iTunes as "people whose job it is to listen to and recognise great radio" and praised it for allowing Greene and King to reach "an even wider audience".[14] The programme won Best Irish Radio Show atentertainment.ie's annual Erics Awards on 29 January 2015.[15]
In April 2015, audience figures showed thatChris and Ciara had 12,000 daily listeners, an increase of 2000 since the previous quarter.[16][17] By July 2015, this had increased to 14,000.[18]