A major new drama series based on the controversial events surrounding the hepatitis C scandal in the mid-1990s has just gone into production in Dublin. No Tears is a four-part fictionalised account of the lives of two women who discover they have been infected with hepatitis C by contaminated anti-D injections years before. Grainne McFadden (Brenda Fricker) and Kitty Fogarty (Maria Doyle Kennedy) react differently to news of their infection. But the drama reveals the devastating effects on both women and their families when they find out they are ill. Kitty forms a campaign group, with other women who have been similarly affected, to take on the health authorities and seek to reveal the truth of what happened.
The strong cast includes Tina Kellegher (Ballykissangel, The Snapper), Ger Ryan (Family, Amongst Women), Emmet Bergin (Glenroe) and Ruth McCabe (My Left Foot, Silent Witness). The series was written by Brian Phelan (The Treaty, Coded Hostile) and is being produced by Lesley McKimm (Relative Strangers) and Jackie Larkin. "This story of two fictional families is based on real events. Sadly, it is a true story, but it is an uplifting story and we have set out to approach it sensitively and with respect," say the producers.
It is the first major foray into television drama for director Stephen Burke, who previously directed two short films about the North: After '68 and '81. The series was commissioned by RT╔'s independent production unit (IPU) and is produced by Little Bird in association with Comet Films. It is also supported by the Irish Film Board. It is expected the series of four hour-long episodes will be broadcast early next year.
This summer has been extremely busy in production terms for RT╔-commissioned independent drama. Five major drama series are currently in production and post production: Bachelor's Walk, The Cassidys, On Home Ground, Custer's Last Stand Up as well as No Tears.
Mergers seem to be the order of the day in RT╔ with the long-expected TV news/current affairs merger recently confirmed for September 1st. RT╔ Nuacht and Nuacht (TG4) are also to be officially merged from September 4th. Michael Lally, head of Nuacht (TG4), will be in charge of the new entity, which will simply be called Nuacht. The bulletins will retain separate identities and separate presenters but will now share camera crews and journalists. After a one-year phase-in period, Nuacht will be almost entirely based at TG4's headquarters in Baile na hAbhann, Co Galway. The move is the result of lengthy negotiations between the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), RT╔ and TG4. NUJ negotiations are also underway to bring Raidi≤ na Gaeltachta's news service under the Nuacht wing.
The BBC is to pit a Weakest Link special against ITV's football coverage in the Saturday-night ratings war, scheduled to begin when the premiership highlights move to the commercial channel on August 18th. The new football show, The Premiership, takes over from the BBC's long-running Match of the Day. ITV won the rights to the match highlights from the BBC last year.
The channel announced recently that The Premiership will be shown at 7 p.m. - much to the chagrin of RT╔, which had planned alternative coverage at that time. RT╔ has since withdrawn its plans to cover premiership football.
The Weakest Link "reality TV" special will feature contestants from Big Brother and Survivor, including Narinder from Big Brother 2 and Nasty Nick from last year's Big Brother. The contestants have said the treatment meted out by Weakest Link presenter Anne Robinson, who is famed for her sharp tongue, was nothing compared to life in the Big Brother house.
Three new episodes of the popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses have been commissioned by the BBC at a cost believed to be around £1 million sterling each. This is approximately double the usual price paid by the Beeb for a single sitcom episode. Actors David Jason (Del Boy) and Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney) are understood to be paid more than £100,000 each an episode. The BBC has managed to assemble almost all of the original cast members for the production. The programmes will be recorded in November, but it's not yet known when they will be broadcast. Five years ago, 23 million British viewers tuned into the last programme - a Christmas special which saw Del Boy finally achieve his dream of becoming a millionaire. The mini-series will open with the funeral of the character Uncle Albert, who was played by the actor Buster Merryfield, who died two years ago.
mkearney@irish-times.com