TV3 has put a call out for families who might like to feature on its huggy extravaganza Coming Home for Christmas, in which presenter Andrea Hayes will be stationed at Dublin Airport to capture the "magic moments" when friends and family are reunited with loved ones who have been living abroad.

Anyone interested in appearing can apply via TV3’s website before a deadline of Monday, December 7th at noon. Well, almost anyone can: the process is not open to people with unspent criminal convictions or those who are “currently the subject of any legal proceedings”.

Applicants also need to be able to commit to “two to three days” of filming.

Emotionally charged

The producers promise the show will be “emotionally charged and uplifting”, and indeed the application form leaves nothing much to chance, asking for details on how things have changed since the emigrant left Ireland, whether they are coming home for any special event (other than Christmas) and whether there are “any new members of the family” they have not yet met. Surprise!