Press
Three modern day Dublin men endure listless and unexciting lives. Their only enjoyment comes from staging re-enactments of the Easter Rising. The men are gearing up for a full dress rehearsal of the Rising when a mysterious box transports them back in time to 1916, just before the Easter Rising.
No sooner have they arrived in the past than they commit a monumental blunder that changes everything. Realising that they have wrecked the Rising before it has even begun, they must somehow concoct a plan to keep history on course. Though confused and terrified, they have to find the hero in themselves…and quickly. There’s also the small matter of returning to the present. And even if they do, what kind of present will they find?
Wrecking The Rising
A new comedy drama - timetravel to 1916
14.04.16
This high-concept series is an imaginative alternate take on the events of 1916. Though highly dramatic, the series is filled with heart, humour and insight.
WRECKING THE RISING (“ÉIRÍ AMACH AMÚ”) is an entertaining TV drama for TG4 with a ‘twist’, in that it involves real historical events and people. Pádraig Pearse, James Connolly, Michael Collins and others are vividly and arrestingly brought to life, and the viewer will share Tom, Seán and Ernest’s wide-eyed amazement as they meet these iconic historical figures in the flesh. What would it be like to live, fight and die alongside them? It boasts an impressive ensemble cast including Peter Coonan (Love/Hate), Owen McDonnell (Singlehanded), Sean T. Ó Meallaigh (Charlie), Jeanne O’Connor (Sineater), Enda Oates (Moone Boy), Eva Jane Gaffney (What Richard Did) and Olga Wehrly (Dark Touch).
It is a hugely ambitious drama series produced for TG4 by Tile Films, one of Ireland’s leading television production companies whose past productions include “Saving the Titanic”, a HD feature drama-documentary that won the Best Feature-length Drama at the Celtic Media Festival 2013 and the Gold World Medal Award at the New York Festivals2013, and A Terrible Beauty”, a 90min feature drama-documentary and winner of a 2015 IFTA Award.
Producer Stephen Rooke says, “The drama lets viewers witness the events of Easter 1916 from a unique 21st-century perspective. Through the eyes of the characters, we really get a sense of what it was like to live and die on the streets of Dublin in 1916.”
Director Ruán Magan is relishing the opportunity to bring the incisive script to life: “This clever premise gives us a chance to step into the boots of someone who experienced the Rising first-hand, and witness these events from a 21st-century perspective. It also allows us to the see the Rising’s leaders as living, breathing human beings, with doubts and issues of their own to confront.”
Writer James Phelan (Rásaí na Gaillimhe) insists that he did not intend to be irreverent in devising the concept: “I wanted to breathe some life back into historical events that are increasingly set in stone. I don’t see the point of simply reiterating the events of Easter week. The point of any drama is to reinvigorate and reengage. Through a fantastical premise, we can strip the veneer off of the Rising and evoke an exciting seismic week where suddenly everything is up for grabs again”.
Micheál Ó Meallaigh, TG4’s Commissioning Director, says the project appealed to the channel on a number of counts: “We knew that Irish TV audiences would have many straightforward accounts the Rising in both factual and dramatic formats on our own and other channels during the current phase of centenary commemorations. Accordingly, we felt might be useful (and fun) to also bring a ‘what if’ perspective to the Rising and to add a bit of spice. We trust our viewers to enjoy the spice and take it with a grain of salt too.”
The project boasts a stellar crew, including acclaimed editor Anna Maria O’Flanagan (A Date for Mad Mary), production designer Padraig O’Neill (Adam and Paul) and DOP Colm Whelan (winner for a 2015 IFTA for best cinematography on Tile Films’ A Terrible Beauty).
WRECKING THE RISING (“ÉIRÍ AMACH AMÚ”) is funded by TG4, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound & Vision III Funding Scheme, and Section 481, Ireland’s Film Tax Corporation Credit. The series will be broadcast on TG4 in late April 2016 on the exact centenary dates of the Rising.
TX DATE
EPISODE 1 – SATURDAY, 23rd APRIL at 9.30pm ON TG4
EPISODE 2 – SUNDAY, 24th APRIL at 9.30pm ON TG4
EPISODE 3 – MONDAY, 25th APRIL at 9.30pm ON TG4
For more information:
Contact: Linda Ní Ghríofa, linda.ni.ghriofa@tg4.ie TG4 091-505228 or 087-9172864