Drop Dead Weird – Episodes 2-13, RTÉ2, Mondays at 5.30pm
Episode 2: The Reinvention of Harry Styles
When Bunni hires the B&B for a Shanahan Clan Gathering and announces that Harry Styles will be the celebrity entertainer at the event, the Champs are excited by the prospect of the business and the PR the event will bring. But when the guest turns out to be Harold F Styles, an over-the-hill and washed up comedian, the event threatens to destroy the B&B’s reputation for good. Unless the kids can teach Ireland’s worst comedian to smarten up his act….
Episode 3: Exclusive Access All Areas
When Grandad hires the B&B to Bunni for her relaxing, peaceful and quiet wellness retreat on the same weekend as raucous rock musician Zac, keeping the peace is not going to be easy. Bunni may finally have the cause to close down the B&B for good with Zac’s “noise pollution” violating dozens of Tubbershandy’s laws…
Episode 4: The Travel Blogger
When influential travel and lifestyle blogger Savannah Lee arrives at the B&B, the Champ kids realise that a positive review of the B&B will potentially expose their zombie parents to scrutiny and discovery by millions of inspired tourists so they set out to make Savannah’s time at the B&B as horrible as possible….
Episode 5: Home Sick
Dermot learns that Lulu is homesick and decides to cheer her up by transforming the B&B into a little piece of Australia for the day. But when Bunni, dressed as a kangaroo, arrived things go from bad to OMG as Bunni discovers Mum and Dad bathing in a pool of tomato soup… Lulu now has to not only deal with the misplaced intentions of Dermot but also the chance that their Zombie secret is finally out…
Episode 6: Lulu’s Day Off
An overworked and stressed-out Lulu, leaves Frankie and Bruce in charge for the day. The gleeful new management has creative ideas for zombie use, but how will they hold it together when two snooty art guests arrive…
Episode 7: Once Were Zombies
When Grandad brings home a “cursed” piece of the legendary Tubbershandy pirate ship the Champ’s world is turned upside down as they all have the same dream. What is going on and what does this mean for solving the Zombie Curse once and for all…
Episode 8: Letter In a Bottle
When the Champs find some of Mum and Dads old love letter they decide to write their own letters of admiration. However they decide to go old school and throws their letters out to sea, in bottles. They never expects them to be found by the people they have written to, especially Lulu, which is a love letter to Dermot, let alone have to explain it to them….
Episode 9: Grandad’s Pen Pal
With Frankie away at a science camp Lulu and Bruce have to think quick when Grandad’s pen-pal, Aubrey, a multi-hyphenate rescue expert comes to visit and demands Mum & Dad be trained as volunteer crew in the under staffed Tubbershandy rescue services…
Episode 10: Bunni Undercover
A disguised Bunni checks into the B&B. She’s determined to get some alone time with fergus. Coincidentally, Dermot also checks in having missed his bus. It isn’t long before the disguised Bunni is demanding to speak with the owners which forces Lulu and company to go to great lengths to keep Bunni from learning the truth. Will Lulu, Bruce and Frankie succeed in keeping their parents’ secret a secret…?
Episode 11: The Health Inspector
A health inspector is sent to investigate the B&B. Grandad gets wind of the plan, and when the persnickety guest arrives, the Champs are sent into panic mode, culiminating in a chaotic breakfast where the inspector is accidentally served… Mum’s ear!
Episode 12: Frankie’s Opportunity
Frankie is to be offered a place in the prestigious F.A.R.T academy but first she, along with Mum & Dad, must impress a panel, which includes Bunni, of interviewers that she has what it takes… It’s a good thing she’s a genius and Lulu and Bruce with a little help can kind of look like Mum & Dad, we did say kind of….
Episode 13: Halloween Mayhem
The B&B is hosting a big Halloween bash and all the locals are in attendance. The Champ children manage to suppress their parent’s zombie tendencies – until Bunni triggers a near disaster. With a desperate lack of tomato soup in the house, an alternative has to be found and utilised PRONTO…!
Series Overview
Drop Dead Weird follows the hilarious antics of an Australian family that moves to Tubbershandy, an isolated seaside village in Western Ireland.
The Champs move to Ireland to save the family B&B, as the bank is threatening to sell and local character Bunni Shanahan is ready to takeover. With three ‘fish-out-of-water’ Aussie kids, one kooky Irish grandfather and two recently zombified parents, running a B&B in a remote seaside Irish village, things are going to get weird… DROP DEAD WEIRD!
The three Aussie kids – Lulu, Bruce and Frankie – are finding it hard enough fitting into a new hometown, but now they have to harbour an enormous secret. Their parents are zombies. Yes, ZOMBIES. We’re talking serious undead with limited vocabularies and really terrible skin. The three kids must invent on a daily, or even hourly basis, a way to keep the truth under wraps or Bunni Shanahan will be on to them. Their schemes, ideas and unexpected twists of fate are a constant source of adventure and hilarity.
Drop Dead Weird is an RTÉ/Seven production in association with Telegael (Ireland) and Ambience Entertainment & Airpig (Australia) with funding support from Irish Tax Incentive (S481), Screen Australia, Screen NSW, and ACTF.
The series was shot on location in both Australia and the West of Ireland with all the post production taking place in Telegael, Spiddal, Ireland.
Bernadette Shanahan: Pauline McLynn
Bio: Pauline McLynn is one of Ireland’s national treasures, having starred in the internationally successful comedy series Father Ted, playing the much loved character of Mrs Doyle. She has since gone on to appear in some of UK’s and Ireland’s most popular and successful television series such as East Enders, Ballykissangel and Shameless.
Dermot Shanahan: David Rawle
Bio: David is one of Ireland’s most recognisable up-an-coming talents. He is best known for his role on Moone Boy (2012-2015) in which he co-starred with Chris O’Dowd. His other credits include Song of the Sea (2014), Property of the State (2016) and Time and Again (2015).
Aisling: Lucy Maher
Bio: Lucy Maher resides in Kildare with her parents and 3 sisters. Lucy has always had a keen interest in drama and has been attending The Brennan Academy of Performing Arts since 2010. Lucy has performed in numerous productions in theatres all over Leinster, most recently, she performed in a 1916 play ‘Whom We Deliver’ at Smock Alley Theatre. A music lover, Lucy plays the guitar, ukulele, piano & violin and in her spare time she loves to paint.
Maggie Champ: Amanda Bishop
Bio: Amanda’s television experience is vast, with credits on: Law and Order, The Story of Us, Maximum Choppage, Wednesday Night Fever. Her most notable role was in the award winning mockumentary, At Home With Julia in which she cowrote, assistant produced and starred as Former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.
Fergus Champ: David Collins
Bio: David Collins is better known to audiences as one half of the Umbilical Brothers. David enjoys both dramatic and comedic roles, most recently being cast in Maya the Bee and Wham Bam Thank You Ma’Am, as well as working on Happy Feet 2 and appearing in Australian films, Red Christmas and You Can’t Stop the Murders. David also created and starred in The Upside Down Show.
Grandad Champ: Maelíosa Stafford
Bio: Maelíosa is an experienced dramatic and comedic actor for theatre and TV with credits in both Australia and Ireland. He holds dual nationality for Ireland and Australia. Some of his recent credits include Rake (2015) and a number of Sydney theatre productions. He is a well known figure in the Irish performing arts community.
Lulu Champ: Sofia Nolan
Bio: Sofia Nolan is an Australian actor and singer performing in theatre, music
theatre, TV and short films.