Television Drama Development

Important Note: Please remember the extremely competitive nature of our TV funding rounds due to high application volumes. This means we have to turn down many more projects than we are able to support.  As such, it is very important to make a strong impact with carefully considered, thoughtful and succinct applications. 

About the Funding

This funding enables Irish producers with a track record in TV Drama production to originate live action TV drama projects. This scheme aims to provide opportunities for Irish talent to create original drama content.

This funding will enable teams to produce a detailed bible and pilot script. Applicants should note that in light of the pressure on Screen Ireland resources, awards considerably less than the maximum are likely to be offered. Development funding is not a guarantee of Production funding at a later stage.

Development funding is provided by Screen Ireland for the making of TV dramas predominantly in English or Irish, or a combination of the two. 

Who Can Apply

TV Drama Development Loans are available to Irish producers (independent production companies registered in the Republic of Ireland which have an office and staff based in the Republic of Ireland) with a television drama project they wish to develop, clear access to the necessary rights in any material that is to be adapted for the screen, and an agreement (at least in principle) with the screenwriter they wish to commission. The commitment of a director can lend weight to an application but is not essential at the outset. Screen Ireland are committed to achieving gender parity and will view the inclusion of female talent favourably.  

Proposals based on existing source material, such as plays or novels, are required to go beyond plot summaries and will need to provide a clear indication of the strategy for adaptation in the form of a detailed bible. As such, bibles must detail clearly how the material will translate to the screen. Where this essential element of an application is absent applications will be automatically withdrawn.

Proposals based on real life people or events must go beyond a synopsis of research and clearly outline the dramatic narrative.

Please curate and evolve your submissions with the following in mind in order to make projects investable and stand out for potential funding:

• Currently, a high proportion of submissions consist of detailed descriptions of interesting ideas & plot with a surplus of narrative and character backstory.  We encourage more projects which get to the authentic core and purpose of the idea efficiently.

• We are looking for carefully considered, thoughtful pitches with 360 perspectives and clear series execution potential.

• Less is more, we encourage the right kind of key, succinct information in the form of:

• A solid idea is obviously essential – however this must include a strong narrative backbone supported by a clear vision in terms of the characters and their arcs – detail the goal in terms of the beginning, middle and end of their journey and what are the key take outs for an audience. Is there strong sense of a fresh and original voice being filtered through the characters?

• How do characters psychologically & emotionally evolve/devolve over the course of a series arc? What are the emotional connections and universal themes filtered through characters? How do you want a viewer to feel at the end of the series?

• How is this project timely, what makes it distinctive?  What makes it stand out in a crowded TV content landscape & effectively compete for audiences’ attention & ultimately deliver? 

• Knowledge and awareness of audience and market are important – the proposal should set to identify and target audiences in its submission & explore opportunities to enhance narrative elements based on these audience assumptions.  We encourage any research that will help focus the direction of the project in terms of the opportunity in the market.

• Ideally, all these elements should culminate in a 360 world & application build that has a unique purpose and a succinct clarity of vision, which ultimately is more investable and enables the project to stand out in extremely large rounds of applications.

Application Requirements

In order to thoroughly assess the further development potential of applications the following documents are required:

• Logline
• Synopsis
• Detailed first draft bible (10 A4 pages excluding images)
• For a first stage TV development application, if a pilot script is available, please provide a 1-2 page pilot outline only.  First stage applications with a full pilot script will either be withdrawn and/or remain unread by the team. For any additional funding applications, please provide the full pilot script as part of your application.
• Notes on further development
• Development budget (The budget template available on Screen Ireland's applications portal must be used)
• Evidence of Ownership of Rights

Applications can be made online using the 'Make an Application' button on this page. Applicants must read the Development Funding guidelines prior to making an application. Applications which do not meet the criteria set out in these guidelines will automatically be considered ineligible.

If you wish to make an application for funding by post, contact 091 561 398 for the relevant application form.

Please note that the application portal closes at 1pm on the day of the application deadline.

You can find the Development Funding Guidelines here.

This page was last updated on 16.04.25.