Stuart Carolan and Chris Addison have teamed up for the darkly comedic crime drama “Tall Tales & Murder,” and have cast an ensemble of names from “Black Doves,” “Game of Thrones,” “Derry Girls” and “Peaky Blinders” to star.
BBC Northern Ireland and Irish national broadcaster RTÉ have commissioned two six-part series of the drama, in association with Screen Ireland.
“Tall Tales & Murder” was written by Carolan, best known as the writer and creator of “Love/Hate,” one of the most critically acclaimed and successful Irish dramas of all time (and a show that served as an early springboard for many Irish stars), and co-created with Addison, a double Emmy and DGA Award-winner who directed and produced episode of “Veep” and co-created “Breeders.” It’s produced by Avalon (“Breeders,” “Starstruck”), in association with Ireland’s Metropolitan Pictures (“Kin”).
Based on the much loved eight-book “Dublin Trilogy” of novels by Caimh McDonnell, “Tall Tales & Murder” — which began filming this week in the Republic of Ireland — follows the adventures of an unlikely crime-solving trio.
The series is set to star Ella Lily Hyland (“Black Doves,” “Towards Zero”), Aidan Gillen (“Love/Hate,” “Game of Thrones”), Philippa Dunne (“Amandaland,” “Derry Girls”) and Packy Lee (“Peaky Blinders”).
“I’ve been a fan of the brilliant Chris Addison since ‘The Thick of It’ – it’s been incredible fun working with him to bring this insane story to life,” said Carolan.
“I’m frankly giddy with delight to get to team up with the twisted and highly original mind of Stuart Carolan to create this show,” said Addison, who also directs alongside Neasa Hardiman. “We’ve taken Caimh’s wonderful novel as a jumping off point and ended up with what I like to think of as a dark and delicious screwball drama.”
RTÉ’s head of drama David Crean, said: “It’s so exciting to be in production with this amazing Irish drama from Stuart Carolan and Chris Addison after a great development process. The scripts are fantastic, as is the cast.”
The first series is set to premiere in 2026. “Tall Tales & Murder” will be distributed internationally by Avalon.
“’Tall Tales & Murder’ is storytelling at its darkest, funniest and most surreal,” said Eddie Doyle, head of content commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland. “We’re looking forward to bringing audiences with us on this wild and thrilling ride from Stuart Carolan and Chris Addison, masters of their craft.”
Added Rob Aslett, executive Producer for Avalon: “Stuart’s brilliant scripts have created a wildly original crime drama that shines a light on a modern Ireland and we can’t wait to bring this show to life with a fantastic cast lead by the Ella, Aiden, Philippa and Packy.”
Kate McColgan, head of television for Screen Ireland, said: “Screen Ireland is delighted to support the making of ‘Tall Tales & Murder.’ Congratulations to all involved for assembling such a brilliant cast featuring some of our best-known actors alongside some exciting new stars.”
‘Tall Tales & Murder’ was commissioned by Crean and Dermot Horan, director of acquisitions and co-productions, at RTÉ; and Doyle alongside Jason Butler, commissioning editor, for BBC Northern Ireland. Produced by Avalon, in association with Metropolitan Pictures, ‘Tall Tales & Murder’ is executive produced by Addison, Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, Carolan and Jon Thoday for Avalon, with David McLoughlin, and Catherine Tiernan for Metropolitan Pictures. Caroline Norris is series producer, Gemma O’Shaughnessy is producer, and Addison and Neasa Hardiman will direct.
No responses yet