Dublin Wives (previously Dublin Housewives) was an Irish reality television programme broadcast on TV3. The series followed the lives of five housewives living in the city: Danielle Meagher, Jo Jordan, Lisa Murphy, Roz Flanagan, and Virginia Macari. It introduced viewers to their lifestyles, families, and homes.[1][2]

Dublin Wives
The first season's logo.
Country of originIreland
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes8
Original release
NetworkTV3
Release28 May 2012 (2012-05-28) –
10 January 2013 (2013-01-10)

The first series followed a format similar to the US franchise The Real Housewives, though it has no connection to that franchise, and was required to make changes amid concerns from NBC.[3] According to the series premise, the women are portrayed as "living the dream with handsome husbands, beautiful children, stylish homes, and a fabulous wardrobe."[4]

The Wives

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Danielle Meagher

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Danielle Meagher (born 1980[5][6]), also known as "Danielle Marr", is an Irish television personality, best known for appearing in Dublin Wives[6] and the twelfth series of Celebrity Big Brother.[7] She runs a Botox clinic in Dublin.[8]

Jo Jordan

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Jo Jordan is an entrepreneur.[citation needed] Jordan lives in Castleknock, although she spent her childhood living on the streets, and later in Ballymun.[citation needed] Jordan has two sons, Gavin and Josh, having first given birth at the age of 16.[9] She met her husband, James, 10 years prior to broadcast and together they have built a successful business.[citation needed] Jordan planned to start a makeup line with fellow Dublin Wife, Lisa Murphy.[citation needed]

Lisa Murphy

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Lisa Murphy is the former fiancé of dancer Michael Flatley, owns a beauty salon "A New Lisa Life," and has also appeared in magazines.[10][11] Murphy describes herself as being "a bit of a square" and surprisingly shy. After an interview on Ireland AM, Gerald Kean announced that he and Lisa were planning to get married.[12] That relationship has since ended.[13]

Roz Flanagan

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Roz Flanagan is from County Monaghan.[citation needed] Flanagan and her husband Vincent manage a family food business and have four daughters.[citation needed] Flanagan met her husband at the age of sixteen and married him when she was twenty.[14] Flanagan donates much of her free time to supporting The Cari Foundation.[citation needed]

Virginia Macari

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Virginia Macari is a fashion designer, actress, and model.[citation needed] Macari is a member of the "Macari Fish and Chip dynasty."[citation needed] She was born in Italy but raised in Cork.[citation needed]
Macari has a son named Thor.[15][16] She is attempting to launch her own bikini line.[17]

Name change

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In late 2012, NBC took notice of Dublin Housewives (which is not part of the Real Housewives franchise) and found similarities between it and their franchise. After viewing an episode of the show, NBC requested changes be made.

It was agreed between NBC and TV3 that the 'Housewives' title of the series would be replaced by 'Wives' and that Dublin's Spire be removed from the programme's logo, which appeared similar to promotional material for The Real Housewives of New York City which features the iconic Empire State Building.[18]

According to a report in the Irish Independent, the change came after direct contact from NBC, which owns The Real Housewives franchise, recently valued by The Hollywood Reporter as being worth upwards of half a billion dollars.[citation needed]

A TV3 source stressed that all contact with NBC had been amicable, and that NBC was impressed by Dublin Wives.[19]

Cancellation

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Jeff Ford replaced Ben Frow as the director of content at TV3, and he said major shows would be axed, as he brings in fresh content to lead the channel upmarket, more highbrow and away from the "trashy" reality shows favored by his predecessor.[20] By mid-2013, the stars and production company of Dublin Wives have not been contacted by TV3 about a new series, "No one has heard one way or the other about its re-commissioning. It's the silence on the matter that would prompt me to believe that it won't be coming back," said a source.[21]

It has been revealed that shows like Tallafornia and Dublin Wives will be axed as Ford believes these are "too trashy" - with industry insiders saying UTV may consider bidding for the company.[citation needed] A source said: "Jeff did hint that he might move them to 3e but it looks like he’s not keen to make them again as he doesn’t feel the money involved in making them justifies the figures.[22]

Spin-offs

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Jo Jordan and Lisa Murphy have been filming their own fly-on-the-wall documentary series, they are calling: Jo And Lisa ... Keeping Up Appearances. The pair are[when?] in talks with RTÉ and TV3 about getting it commissioned.[citation needed] "It's not like Dublin Wives showing us in fancy hotels, but it is very much fly-on-the-wall, where you can see us on our good days, our bad days, without make-up and taking in our washing – stuff like that".[23]

Danielle Meagher has also been filming her own spin-off show of Dublin Wives, 'Dr Danielle's Diaries'.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Meet The Stars of TV3′s New Show Dublin Housewives! « Juicy Gossip «". Sosueme.ie. 27 May 2012. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  2. ^ http://www.herald.ie/news/housewives-star-roz-lets-us-take-peek-inside-her-stunning-family-home-28010674.html Housewives star Roz lets us take peek inside her stunning family home Evening Herald
  3. ^ "Honeymoon over as 'Dublin Housewives' forced to drop name". independent. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Dublin Housewives begins tonight". RTÉ Ten. RTÉ. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  5. ^ Danielle Meagher, IMDb
  6. ^ a b "Danielle Marr". Channel 5. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Celebrity Big Brother: Viewers baffled by Lauren Harries and Danielle Marr". Metro News. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  8. ^ "Danielle Marr joins Celebrity Big Brother 2013 securing a large fee: Celebrity Botox doctor profiled". The Mirror. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  9. ^ Rabbitte, Eimear (8 July 2013). "Jo Jordan opens up about her teenage pregnancy in new RTE show". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media PLC. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  10. ^ To Flatley, Lisa was finally all about sex, Irish Independent
  11. ^ Murphy's new Lisa life, Irish Independent
  12. ^ Gerald Kean and Lisa Murphy set to tie the knot, Irish Mirror
  13. ^ Celebrity lawyer Gerald Kean and fiancee Lisa Murphy split for the third time after revealing baby plans
  14. ^ http://rsvpmagazine.ie/roz-purcell/ Archived 3 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Exclusive Interview with Roz Flanagan RSVP.ie
  15. ^ "Virginia Macari's back in business as fiance jailed for 3 years". evoke.ie. 7 June 2015.
  16. ^ "'No, I'm not in jail' - husband of Virginia Macari following conviction for fraud « Irish Independent «". independent.ie. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  17. ^ About Virginia Macari & The beachwear
  18. ^ Samuel Beckett. "Honeymoon over as 'Dublin Housewives' forced to drop name - TV & Radio, Entertainment". Independent.ie. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  19. ^ "TV3's Dublin Housewives forced to change name - RTÉ Ten". Rte.ie. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  20. ^ "Dublin Wives at war.. again: Danielle slams Jo in Twitter row". The Mirror. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  21. ^ Egan, Barry (2 June 2013). "Silence over the future of Dublin Wives? C'mon TV3!". Independent.ie. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  22. ^ Quigley, Maeve; Hamilton, Sam (25 June 2013). "'Jeff wants to make TV3 a force to be reckoned with.. it looks like a major cull is on the way'". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  23. ^ Rabbitte, Eimear (14 June 2013). "Dublin Wives duo hoping to star in their own reality series". Herald.ie. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
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