The forks and knives are out

Virgin Media show to see guests gathering round table to debate

- LARISSA NOLAN

TV therapist Richard Hogan says we live in a strange time, where we're tolerant of everything except those who think differently to us.

Now he's on a mission to show how we can and should get on with people who hold opposite world views, and benefit from it ourselves.

Richard is a psychotherapist on Virgin Media's new show Dinner With The Enemy, which starts tomorrow.

In it, 10 people with opposing opinions on the big issues sit down for what's being called Ireland's most explosive dinner party yet.

He told the Irish Sunday Mirror social media, the Trump era and the culture wars have all contributed to this polarisation.

He said: "We live in an age where you so quickly block someone if they don't meet your beliefs. We can get caught in an echo chamber.

"We've witnessed a coarsening of public debate in recent years. On Dinner With The Enemy, we're trying to show how people who have different opinions aren't all that different." Running for six weeks, this daring social experiment serves up fiery debate and conversation, with Richard - and fellow psychotherapist Daniella Moyles watching from the sidelines.