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RTÉ & Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland Announce Four Successful Comedy Projects to go to Pilot

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RTÉ & Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland Announce Four Successful Comedy Projects to go to Pilot

Posted: 22nd June 2018

RTÉ and the Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland (FÉ/SI) earlier this week announced the four projects that have progressed to the next stage in its new scripted comedy initiative. The partnership, which was set up to support new Irish comedy, will see these four become pilots which will air on RTÉ television, with one being selected to become a six-part series.

The four are:

Headcases (Treasure Entertainment) Four very flawed women attempt to keep up appearances as they juggle husbands, affairs, and overly inquisitive kids with their work at a Northside Dublin salon. Written by Charleigh Bailey.

Dad (Blueink) Dad is a mainstream comedy about a middle-aged Dad moving into his conservative gay son’s one-bedroom flat, after his wife has kicked him out. Produced by Ruth Carter and written by Andrew Clifford

Handy (Underground Films) Two stepsisters are Dublin’s first handywomen specialising, in the oddest of odd-jobs. Writers Kate Kennedy and Maddie Rice; producers Farah Abushwesha, Rachel Lysaght, Lindsay Campbell

The South Westerlies (Deadpan Pictures) When a small Irish town is earmarked for an offshore wind farm, it’s not just the spectacular scenery that’s under pressure. For Kate, whose job it is to deliver the project, her eco-battle with the locals is compounded by the arrival of a familiar surfer with an unmistakable resemblance to her son. Producer: Ailish McElmeel, Writer: Catherine Maher.

These pilots will have the potential to be picked up by international distributors and international broadcasters, following on from recent successes including Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope and Bridget & Eamon which have been sold to the BBC and UKTV respectively.

Justin Healy, executive producer for RTÉ Comedy said: ‘We’re delighted to announce the next phase of the scripted comedy pilot scheme with the Irish Film Board. We were hugely impressed by the calibre of ideas that came in and choosing just four presented a challenge. This scheme is specifically aimed at developing Irish scripted comedy that can travel to overseas audiences, building on recent partnerships in that area with UKTV, BBC and Netflix among others. We look forward to working with these producers over the coming months to bring their ideas to screen.’

James Hickey, FÉ/SI Chief Executive said: 'We are delighted to partner with RTÉ on this Scripted Comedy initiative and the four successful projects to be taken to pilot are wonderful examples of the diverse storytelling talent working in Irish scripted comedy today. We were very impressed with the calibre of the projects we received and we are very excited about helping to bring these stories to screen. We firmly believe that these stories have the potential to reach both Irish and global audiences and we look forward to working with RTÉ and the producers of these projects to unlock their full potential.'