BBC Northern Ireland and RTÉ Commission New Drama Series: Tall Tales & Murder
A new six-part drama series, Tall Tales & Murder, has been commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland and RTÉ, in association with Screen Ireland. The show is written by Stuart Carolan, creator of the critically acclaimed Irish drama Love/Hate, and co-created with Chris Addison, a double EMMY and Directors Guild of America Award winner.
According to a press release from the BBC, the darkly comedic crime drama will star Ella Lily Hyland, Aidan Gillen, Philippa Dunne, and Packy Lee. Filming began this week in the Republic of Ireland, with the first series set to premiere in 2026. The show will be distributed internationally by Avalon.
The story is based on the Dublin Trilogy by Caimh McDonnell, a much-loved eight-book series. Stuart Carolan, Writer and Executive Producer, said: “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.” Chris Addison, Director and Executive Producer, added: “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. 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.”
The BBC reports that David Crean, Head of Drama, RTÉ, 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. RTÉ is excited to be collaborating with such brilliant broadcast partners to bring this great series to audiences on a national and international stage. Tall Tales & Murder is part of an unprecedented slate of original Irish drama in production from RTÉ, which will deliver over 142 hours of original drama this year.”
Eddie Doyle, Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland, said: “Tall Tales & Murder is storytelling at its darkest, funniest and most surreal. 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. There’s a fantastic cast already on board and we can’t wait to work with Avalon, in association with Metropolitan Pictures, and RTÉ to take it from script to screen.”
Rob Aslett, Executive Producer for Avalon, said: “We are delighted to be working with RTÉ, BBC and Screen Ireland and backing the very best contemporary Irish talent. 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 Ella, Aiden, Philippa and Packy.” Kate McColgan, Head of Television for Screen Ireland, added: “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. It is wonderful to partner again with our colleagues in RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland.”
The production team for Tall Tales & Murder includes Caroline Norris as Series Producer, Gemma O’Shaughnessy as Producer, and Chris Addison and Neasa Hardiman as directors. The show was commissioned by David Crean, Head of Drama and Dermot Horan, Director of Acquisitions & Co-Productions, at RTÉ; and Eddie Doyle, Head of Content Commissioning and Jason Butler, Commissioning Editor, for BBC Northern Ireland.
The series is produced by Avalon, in association with Metropolitan Pictures, with executive producers including Chris Addison, Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, Stuart Carolan, and Jon Thoday for Avalon, as well as David McLoughlin and Catherine Tiernan for Metropolitan Pictures. With its unique blend of dark comedy and crime drama, Tall Tales & Murder is set to captivate audiences when it premieres in 2026.
