UK Dramas Filmed on Location in Ireland Attract Large Audiences
BBC's GEORGE GENTLY, Sky One's THE TAKE, RTE One and ITV's FATHER AND SON which all filmed on location in Ireland last year have been receiving high rating since airing on their respective stations.
The third series of the INSPECTOR GEORGE GENTLY tv drama was produced Company Pictures and co-produced by Element Pictures for the BBC and was directed by Irish directors Daniel O'Hara and Ciaran Donnelly. The series was entirely filmed in Ireland and attracted over 5 million viewers per episode in the UK when it was broadcast in March this year.
THE TAKE, in which Dublin doubled as London, had an average audience on Sky One of 661,000 people (3.7% share) over the double episode launch in June. The first episode snared an audience of 648,000 which was an increase of 340% on the normal slot average.
Adapted from Martina Cole's best-selling novel THE TAKE is a gripping drama about love, power, jealousy and betrayal. Set in the East End of London, the story revolves around a family set in the criminal underworld, spanning 10 years from the height of Thatcherism to the birth of New Labour.
"Martina Cole's The Take was a huge success for Sky One. With a gripping, hard-hitting script and stand out performances from a talented young cast The Take has seen universal critical acclaim. Ireland was the perfect choice of location providing atmospheric backdrops shot in stunning high definition." Elaine Pyke, Sky Commissioning Editor Drama
Co-produced by Element Pictures (The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Garage, Five Minutes of Heaven) in Ireland and Company Pictures for SKY in the UK, the four-part series filmed in locations around Dublin including the Dublin Docklands, the John Player Factory and the Lark Inn on Meath Street.
The series stars an ensemble cast including Tom Hardy (Bronson, Stuart: A Life Backwards), Emmy award winner Brian Cox (Braveheart, The Bourne Supremacy, Deadwood), Kierston Wareing (It's a Free World, Fish Tank), Charlotte Riley (Easy Virtue) and Shaun Evans (Teachers).
The critically acclaimed drama FATHER AND SON has been attracting more than 350,000 viewers on RTE One over the last few weeks with it's first episode pulling in 353,000 viewers (26% share of the audience) and it's second episode pulling in 366,000 viewers (27% share of the audience). The four-part drama which has screened on Monday nights has also been within the Top 10 most popular programmes of the day on any television channel.
Starring Dougray Scott as a reformed criminal forced to confront his past, the cast also features Stephen Rea, Sophie Okonedo, John Kavanagh and Flora Montgomery. Written by Emmy Award winner Frank Deasy, most of the series was shot in Dublin where it doubled for Manchester where much of the series is set.
Father and Son was produced by Left Bank Pictures (The Damned United) for ITV in association with RTÉ and co-produced by Ingenious Broadcasting and Octagon Films (RAW, Ondine), with the support of investment incentives for the Irish film industry provided by the Government of Ireland and the participation of Bord Scannan na hÉireann/Irish Film Board.
All three drama series benefited from the Irish tax incentive for film production Section 481 and the Irish Film Board's International Production Fund