[3] The series featured contributions from more than 70 people directly linked with Ahern, including family members, schoolfriends and national and international politicians.

Among the other figures interviewed were Des Richardson, Joe Burke, Barry English, David McKenna, Chris Wall, Paddy Duffy and Royston Brady.

[11] It traced Ahern's life up to the Irish general election in 1989, detailing his years as an accounts clerk in the Mater Hospital, Dublin and his fledgling political career, during which he won a seat in Dáil Éireann in 1977 on his first campaign.

The programme outlined the close bond he forged with his party leader at the time, Charles Haughey, whilst serving as Fianna Fáil chief whip.

The second episode was broadcast on 10 November 2008,[12] commenced with the 1990 Irish presidential election, in which Mary Robinson became the country's first female president, and follows Ahern's career up to his appointment as leader of the Fianna Fáil political party in 1994.

His subsequent attempts to explain this on the RTÉ Six One News in September 2006 and the coining of the term "dig-out" entered Irish political folklore.