Drama and Comedy

RTÉ Drama on One

RTÉ Radio 1’s Drama on One employed 20 Irish writers, 60 actors, 4 directors, 2 composers and 2 sound designers in 2020, broadcasting 20 new Irish radio plays. Participating writers included Liz Nugent, Michele Forbes, Tracy Martin, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú, Niamh Campbell, Vincent Woods, Stephen Jones, Bernard Farrell, Aidan Mathews, Alan McMonagle, Patrick McCabe and John Boorman. Meanwhile, the Drama on One series Long Story Short commissioned new Irish writing reflecting experiences of the pandemic.

For the first time, RTÉ Players’ 1982 production of Joyce’s Ulysses, an acclaimed radio version directed by William Styles, was offered as a podcast, with an accompanying website offering explainers, essays, programmes and photographs. On Bloomsday the continuous 29-hour production was broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra. The podcast achieved 100,000 downloads and reached No. 1 in the Irish iTunes chart.

Drama on One also collaborated with Stage Beyond, Derry’s theatre company for people with learning difficulties, to produce a remote recording of Hamlet, Prince of Derry, adapted by Colin Murphy, directed by Conall Morrison and scored by Si Schroeder. The original stage production was postponed as a result of Covid-19, and radio again showed its vital role in enabling cultural work even under the most severe Covid-related restrictions.

Drama on One productions received many awards, including first place in the IMRO awards for Leaba an Bháis by Darach Mac Con Iomaire, an chéad drama Gaeilge a bhuaigh an duais náisiúnta seo. Other awards included several New York Festivals Radio Awards, while You Better Sit Down by Nyree Yergainharsian won best radio script at the 2020 Writers Guild of Ireland awards (‘the ZeBBies’).

Robert Barrett won the RTÉ Drama on One’s playwrighting competition, the PJ O’Connor Awards, with Nothing Ever Happens Around Here. Drama on One undertook distance workshop and outreach activities with Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin.

Ireland on Screen

Like all other television dramas, Fair City had a challenging year in 2020. When restrictions forced the shutdown of the show, the biggest challenge was establishing safety protocols that would allow a safe return to work for both cast and crew. A dedicated team managed the first successful restart of a scripted production in the country during the pandemic, with three episodes per week.

Normal People and Young Offenders were ratings phenomena in Ireland and internationally.

Working with international co-production partners and accessing funding sources through the BAI and Screen Ireland, RTÉ significantly increased Drama & Comedy output in 2020, with 51 hours of commissioned/co-produced drama and comedy, and an additional 23 hours entering production. Dead Still, a 6 × 60’ period mystery series, was co-produced with Acorn TV (UK, Ireland, North America & ANZ) and City TV (Canada). The Southwesterlies, a 6 × 60’ series set in West Cork, was co-produced with Acorn TV & TV2 Norway, ZDF Enterprises, BAI and Screen Ireland. It picked up a solid 30% share on its pilot and retained this throughout the series.

In comedy-related output, two new series of the acclaimed Tommy Tiernan Show were delivered in 2020, while additional All Round to Mrs Brown’s, including a Christmas Special, were co-produced. A special of Callan Kicks the Year was a great ratings hit, and more are planned.