Series 1
Episode 3 of 6:Kate pursues the town’s chief wind-farm objector and gallery owner Teddy Lawson. She’s not convinced that his objections
around “spoiling the beauty of the natural vistas” are the full story.
Meanwhile, Breege has discovered that husband Stefan has
cancelled a scheduled meeting with their social worker, but bites down her annoyance and reassures him that they’ll make great foster-parents. For Kate, the unwelcome arrival of NorskVentus boss Sigrid
Andersen takes a backseat when she arrives at the beach and sees Baz trying to resuscitate a familiar face.
Notes to editor:
When a town in the South West of Ireland is earmarked for a
Norwegian-owned offshore wind farm, it’s not just the
scenery that’s under pressure. Kate Ryan is on the verge of a lucrative promotion and a move to her company’s HQ in Oslo until her employer,
NorksVentus, adds a last-minute caveat – a final assignment
in Ireland. She must go undercover in the West Cork town of
Carrigeen to quash local objections against the company’s
offshore wind farm. However, Kate has a personal (and
complicated) history with the town, one that she’s not so keen to revisit.
Arriving in Carrigeen with her son Conor, Kate quickly
realises that NorskVentus underestimated the level of anti-windfarm ire.
RTÉ and Acorn Media Enterprises (AME) partnered to commission The South Westerlies, an Irish comedy-drama with Dublin based Deadpan Pictures, alongside ZDF Enterprises, TV2 Norway and in association with Screen Ireland.
The South Westerlies boasts an impressive ensemble of acclaimed actors including, Orla Brady (American Horror Story, Mistresses,) as Kate, Eileen Walsh (Catastrophe, Women on the Verge, Can’t Cope Won’t Cope) as Breege, Ger Ryan (Little Dog, Rialto, Raw) as Noreen, Sam Barrett as Conor, Lily Nichol (MJ, Handymen) as Poppy, Steve Wall (Vikings, An Klondike, Rebellion) as Baz and Patrick Bergin (Sleeping with the Enemy, Patriot Games, EastEnders, Red Rock) as Michael.
Filming rolled into action in mid-September 2019 in Wicklow, with a ten-week shoot. The shoot locations included Wicklow town, Cork and Oslo in Norway. Anagram Norway are providing production services in Oslo.
The South Westerlies is created by Catherine Maher and written by Catherine Maher, Hugh Travers, Hilary Reynolds and Michelle Duffy. The six part series is directed by Simon Gibney (Doctors, Nowhere Fast) and Declan Recks (Drop Dead Weird, The Flag, Pure Mule).
Acorn Media Enterprises with its distributor Acorn Media International, has secured all rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom; and secondary rights in Ireland. ZDF Enterprises will distribute the series in the rest of the world. The South Westerlies will premiere on RTÉ in Ireland and shortly thereafter on AMC Networks’ streaming service Acorn TV in the United States as an Acorn TV Original.
“As a public service media organisation, creating and delivering original Irish drama and comedy in partnership with the independent production sector is an important part of RTÉ’s role. We’re very proud to support and develop this exciting project with such a talented cast. It’s been great working together with Deadpan Pictures, Acorn, Screen Ireland and ZDF Enterprises to bring this new homegrown six-part drama from script to screen for our viewers on RTÉ One” said Shane Murphy, RTÉ’s Group Head of Drama and Comedy.
“We are delighted to support the development and production of The South Westerlies as part of Screen Ireland’s new focus on episodic TV drama. Deadpan Pictures is a dynamic Irish company going from strength to strength, with a growing slate of high-end comedy and drama TV shows. With The South Westerlies, Catherine Maher has created an unapologetically warm and funny piece of Sunday night entertainment. The show will bring Irish talent and images of Ireland to audiences across the US and worldwide.” Teresa McGrane, Deputy Chief Executive, Screen Ireland.
“With an impressive ensemble cast led by Orla Brady, a picturesque setting, and first-rate writing, The South Westerlies will definitely interest Acorn TV’s subscribers and audiences worldwide. Acorn is excited to be working with our friends at RTÉ, Deadpan Pictures, Screen Ireland, and ZDF Enterprises to produce another high-quality drama,” said Catherine Mackin, Managing Director of Acorn Media Enterprises.
“The South Westerlies is very much a series for our climate-changing-times, an ensemble comedy drama set in a picturesque seaside town divided. It’s warm and funny, while also shot through with darker shenanigans. Alongside our brilliant cast and crew, it’s great to be partnering again with Acorn, RTÉ, ZDF Enterprises and Screen Ireland to bring The South Westerlies to both Irish and international audiences alike,” said Ailish McElmeel, Co-founder, Deadpan Pictures.
“We are thrilled to add this exciting drama series to our slate. It combines entertainment, suspense and ‘something for the soul’. The compelling mix of Irish and Norwegian elements in the series will be a must have for every channel in 2020,” said Robert Franke, ZDF Enterprises‘ VP ZDFE.drama.
The South Westerlies is series produced by Ailish McElmeel, Deadpan Pictures and produced by Candida Julian-Jones. Executive producers include Shane Murphy and Justin Healy for RTÉ, Catherine Mackin and Bea Tammer from Acorn Media Enterprises, Paul Donovan for Deadpan Pictures, Ann Kolbjørnsen and Ole Marius Araldsen for Anagram.
The South Westerlies is produced by Deadpan Pictures (Ireland) in association with RTÉ, Acorn TV with its UK-based development division Acorn Media Enterprises, ZDF Enterprises and Screen Ireland.