Dave Moore

Normal People is by far the biggest show on TV right now.

It has clocked up over 16 million views on the BBC iPlayer, become a ratings hit for RTE here in Ireland, and has even gathered some famous fans including James Cordon and Kourtney Kardashian.

However, the show has also hit the headlines because of its sex scenes - with RTE receiving a number of complaints after the first episodes aired three weeks ago. The show tells the story of the love between Connell and Marianne from their teenage years in Sligo right through to their college years in Trinity.

This morning, Dermot & Dave Dermot spoke to the Intimacy Director of Normal People, Ita O'Brien. Ita is an Intimacy Coordinator and Movement Director for film, television, and theatre. For the last six years Ita has been developing best practice when working with intimacy, scenes with sexual content, and nudity in film, TV, and theatre.  Ita pioneered the role of Intimacy Coordinator, which is gaining adoption in leading production houses, including HBO, Netflix, and the BBC.

Hit play to hear how show managed to create some of the most talked about sex scenes ever.

Simon Harris says he is "concerned" that complacency may prevent the government from proceeding with their Reopening Ireland Roadmap.

The Minister for Health joined Dermot & Dave this morning, where he spoke to the lads about how Ireland are prepared for the lifting of some Covid-19 restrictions on Monday May 18th. It comes as the Department of Health confirmed 15 more deaths from Covid-19 here, while over 23 thousands people have been diagnosed with the virus in Ireland.

But, Minister Harris says the despite the drop in the number of cases over the last number of days, people can't be getting complacent because clusters may pop up again, meaning Ireland could once again return to lockdown. The Health Minster has confirmed that he, the government and health officials are looking at other countries where restrictions have been lifted and are trying to avoid a further spike in case.

The Health Minister also wants to see new laws introduced to regulate people travelling into our ports and airports. It follows reports Gardai may call to passengers' homes to make sure they're in self-isolation for two weeks. It's after a third of people arriving at Dublin Airport recently, didn't fill in forms properly about where they were staying.

Hit play to hear the Health Ministers full interview with Dermot & Dave above.

A new week brings some telly choices curtesy of Dermot & Dave Producer Maria.

Here are some of her top picks of the week.

Dana – The Original Derry Girl, Monday at 9.35pm on RTÉ One  - celebrates the 50th anniversary of her big win, while candidly talking about the highs and lows of the past five decades. Dana has spoken about her whirlwind success after winning the Eurovision Song Contest fifty years ago, and admits she "loved" her work and didn't "resent" her hectic schedule "in any way".

Normal People, (Episodes 5 & 6) Tuesday at 10:15 on RTÉ One - Connell starts socialising with Marianne in Dublin and is introduced to her group of friends, one of whom is interested in him, while Marianne is still dating Gareth, but her interest in the relationship is starting to fade.

Marty & Bernard's Big Adventure, Wednesday at 9:35 on RTÉ One - Marty Morrissey and Bernard O'Shea meet various groups who do remarkable things for their community, setting up a challenges in order to fundraise for that group. In the first episode, they meet a group of women from Ballybough in Dublin who are members of the Gaelic 4 Mothers & Others initiative.

Hit play to hear more of Maria's telly picks for the week.

This has undoubtedly been an incredibly stressful time for all of us. People have been coping with grief, worry for loved ones as well as concerns over their jobs and the stress of working from home.

But when it comes to the actual lockdown, there's actually a lot that we can learn about ourselves from it.

Some people are desperate for things to return to 'normal' whereas others have flourished in the new situation and actually found it to be a great relief.

For a lot of people, lockdown means that they're spending more time with the kids, getting in touch with friends they've lost contact with, improving their fitness or learning to cook.

Fiona Brennan, Clinical Clinical Hypnotherapist and Best Selling Author of The Positive Habit, joined Dermot and Dave for Mind Yourself Now this morning to chat about the fear that some people have about returning to 'normal' and how we can take what we've learned in the past 8 weeks to inform the decisions we make in the future.

Rob Kearney says that the domestic rugby season could begin again very soon.

The Ireland legend was speaking to Dermot & Dave this morning, where he revealed that plans are in place for members of the Leinster squad to return to the training ground later this month.

Kearney said that the team will return to training in groups of 4, to do some socially distant pre-season fitness work as the team waits for approval from the Government, IRFU and World Rugby to resume games.

Rob was on speaking about his new business Bua. It is a web-app for connecting consumers to trainers for group fitness classes outdoors.  Backed by Google start-ups, London Sport and professional athletes, Bua Fit attracted investment from all over the world late last year.

Bua Fit had to close their outdoor model with Covid-19 and the team had to think very quickly in order to stay in business. Bua means victory in Irish so their mission is to improve people’s lives by always making them healthier and happier, the infinite lifestyle is what the Bua brand believes in. This made their pivot an easy decision to help both sides of the marketplace in a crucial time for consumers and trainers. Bua Online launched, which is connecting consumers to trainers for LIVE group classes in a compliant training space. Bua Fit are one of the safest solutions in the market right now, this has resulted in them doing business in Ireland, Spain and Canada since they launched  6 weeks ago.

Dermot & Dave's 'Ah Sure Lookit Wasn't That It' podcast is the perfect thing to keep you company over the weekend, whether you're isolating on your own or with the family, out for your 5km walk or if you need to get some bits done around the house.

There's always something that needs fixing!

Jam-packed full of all the bits you may have missed the Ah Sure Lookit Wasn't That It podcast is your one-stop shop for all things Dermot & Dave.

This week, our SK8R boi Dermot got virtual skateboarding lessons, we heard from a listener looking to get creative with her old stuff and another who had a run in with a flame thrower. Plus the latest on the Leaving Cert and Dave's trampoline.

Plus all your faves from Say Stuff That Suits The Music to Dave's World Bad Jokes and yes, it's back, Noni's 'Cmere Till I Ask Ya A Question!

Dermot and Dave's producer Maria is a beacon of knowledge when it comes to all things telly and she shared her top telly recommendations for the weekend with us all this morning!

From the best of the chat shows to what's on the streaming sites, have a listen and get planning.

Today could be d-day for thousands of potential Leaving Certificate students around the country as the State examination looks set to be cancelled for the first time in its history due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The exams had been due to take place on July 29th, six weeks later than usual, to allow students to return to schools for a number of weeks to prepare.

However, ongoing concerns regarding social distancing means that the Government is expected to announce a system including 'predicted grading' instead.

But what does that mean for the students, teachers and parents involved?

This morning, Dermot and Dave spoke to listeners all over the country who are dealing with the fall-out including an incredibly brave 18 year old from Cork who told us of the immense pressure she was feeling the past few months and how the cancellation will change her life.

He's best known as being the lead singer of Picture This, but it turns out there is a lot more to Ryan Hennessy than those dulcet tones.

This week for Ask Me Anything, Dermot & Dave spoke to Ryan who just happens to be the lead singer of one of the most successful bands to ever come from Ireland.

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Last night of tour tonight :(( for a few weeks anyway :))

A post shared by Ryan Hennessy (@ryanhennessy__) on Nov 2, 2019 at 10:36am PDT

It was just 4 years ago that the Kildare group released their debut song Take My Hand, and their career took off. Since then they have gone on to headline festivals across Ireland and the UK, sold out 5 nights at the 3 Arena, and clocked up millions of streams on Spotify.

One of the reasons the band are so successful is because of frontman Ryan Hennessy, who is known for his bold outfits. Speaking to Dermot & Dave, Ryan revealed that he feels more comfortable in women's cloths, rather than men’s. Ryan told Today FM "for me it's all about the fit, and women's cloths fit better" .

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Happy world poetry day

It turns out a lot of us are turning to music during lockdown.

Spotify have revealed what songs are being streamed the most around the world, while we are stuck at home during Covid-19.

Here is the top 5.

5. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

4. The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me

3. MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This

2. Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive

1. Britney Spears - Toxic

Hit play on the podcast to hear the list in full.