BBC Northern Ireland and RTÉ have greenlit two six-part seasons of a new, “darkly comedic” Ireland-set crime drama, which will re-team actor Aidan Gillen with Love/Hate writer Stuart Carolan.
Titled Tall Tales & Murder, the show was co-created by Carolan and director Chris Addison (The Thick of It, Veep). It will also feature Black Doves scene stealer Ella Lily Hyland, alongside Philippa Dunne (Amandaland) and Packy Lee (Peaky Blinders).
Ella Lily Hyland, Aidan Gillen, Philippa Dunne, Packy Lee, Stuart Carolan and Chris Addison
The show’s story is based on author Caimh McDonnell’s beloved ‘Dublin’ series of novels. There are eight of these books, the first of which is called A Man with One of Those Faces.
The plot synopsis for the novel reads: “It tells the story of what happens to Paul Mulchrone when a simple case of mistaken identity leads him into a complicated web of intrigue in which people keep trying to kill him. The only people willing to help him are Brigit Conroy, the crime-obsessed nurse who did rather get him into this mess in the first place, and Bunny McGarry, an unconventional old-school copper with whom he has a ‘complicated’ personal history.”
Tall Tales & Murder is also being produced in part by Metropolitan Pictures, which was behind the hit crime drama Kin.
In a statement about the series, Carolan 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.”
Addison 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.”
Producer Rob Aslett also stated: “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 led by Ella, Aiden, Philippa and Packy.”
Filming on the show began last week in the Republic of Ireland, with the first season set to premiere sometime in 2026.
As well as Addison, Neasa Hardiman (Sea Fever) is on board the project as a director.
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