Tuesday, October 12th will see the broadcast of ‘Hardy Bucks’, a new series that was produced following its nine webisodes landing over three million hits. Created by Chris Torduff and Martin Maloney in 2008, the series first came to audiences’ attention when it was competing in RTÉ’S Storyland in 2009. ‘Hardy Bucks’ reigned victorious and is thus debuting on Irish television this evening. We spoke with Martin Maloney – creator and star of the series about his hope that the series doesn’t bomb, his expectation of tonight’s reaction in Swinford and how character The Viper came into existence.
Filmed in Swinford, Co Mayo, ‘Hardy Bucks’ follows the lives of four lazy but likeable lads from the fictional Castletown. Entered into Storyland, a competition run by RTÉ that sees audiences voting to see more episodes of their favourite series, ‘Hardy Bucks’ scooped the top spot with voters, and cameras started rolling in May 2010 to create the six part RTÉ series that starts tonight. Martin tells us that the voting system of Storyland provided him with one special new experience “The Storyland system is nerve-wracking but also exciting,” he tells us. “I’m never ever on the winning team so it was great to get through every time and experience winning! We really were the underdogs and the main thing for me was to get into the thing!”
‘Hardy Bucks’ explores life in small town Ireland for a group of 20-something slacker lads and their attempts to find the craic wherever that may be. Despite the economic down turn, life in Castletown, Co Mayo hasn't changed much for Eddie Durkan. When things start to go belly up his friends Buzz, French Toast and Boo are there to give him advice, despite local drug dealer The Viper always trying to get one over on him.
When we talk to Martin Maloney he’s one tired man. Martin is co-writer of the series, alongside co-star and director of the show, Chris Torduff. Both men grew up in the north of England, moving to Swinford in their early teens, a dual outsider and insider view of Irish rural culture that has proved comically fruitful. Besides co-writing the show, Martin also produces and appears as Eddie Durkin (pictured above in white vest), somewhat of a human hurricane. But it’s one of his other responsibilities that kept him up last night. “I was up until 3am trying to compose tracks on a mini keyboard and I can’t play the keyboard so it’s proving difficult,” he explains, before getting to the real problem involved. “I’m trying to do some dance tracks for the ‘Hardy Bucks’ DVD. But I don’t know how to put beats in.”
Following its Storyland win in 2009 the nine short ‘Hardy Bucks’ webisodes clocked in over three million hits and it currently boasts over 45,500 Facebook fans. Did increase the pressure when shooting of the TV series commenced or did it take some of the heat off? Maloney’s answer is instant: “With the series there was a hell of a lot more pressure! You just think to yourself – ‘This can’t turn out shit. And if it is, the whole of Ireland will be able to see it!’ And it’s true, if it does go badly, we’ll be making idiots of ourselves on TV. We only get one shot at this and we don’t want to make a balls of it! RTÉ have, in recent times, had some shows that have bombed. And we don’t want that to happen after all our hard work.”
Where the rest of the cast of ‘Hardy Bucks’ is concerned Buzz McDonald is played by Owen Colgan, French Toast O'Toole is played by Peter Cassidy, Boo is played by Tom Kilgalon, Big Mick Fitzpatrick is played by Eugene Maloney and Dannie Cassidy is played by Eric Montgomery, I feel it necessary to ask where Chris Torduff’s role, wannabe gangster The Viper, came from: “Chris and I used to make random prank calls - out of sheer boredom - when we were young,” the explanation comes. “The Viper character came from this spate of phone calls where we’d have a good cop/bad cop set-up. Chris was the bad cop and he did it in a really ‘chavvish’ way. He’d say ‘Yeah, see you around town and you’ll get a head butt!’ and then I’d come in with ‘Oh, don’t listen to him man, he’s just being mean!’ The good cop/ bad cop thing meant we could prolong the call and basically bamboozle the ‘prankee’ completely.”
This relaxed approach to comedy writing has served the pair since. The series also sees them hold fast to their method of using friends and family to act in the series. A way of keeping their loved ones involved in their craft? It would seem not. “We did it more so out of necessity,” Martin says. “It was really a case of us grabbing people and saying ‘Can you do a bit of acting here? We need to fill a role.’ And the most random of people turned up! But it did mean that what we got out of it was a nice mix of really genuine people.”
Despite whatever reservations Martin may have about the series’ welcome from Irish audiences, the filmmaker and the rest of the team are currently working hard on a second instalment. It seems to be coming along better than the music for the DVD. “Yes, it’s going well,” we’re told. “Now that all the characters have been introduced the second series should be a lot better than the first.”
We wrap things up by asking how Martin plans to spend this evening’s broadcast. “We’ll have a big piss-up in Swinford,” he says, his inner Eddie coming to the fore. “It’ll all turn into a big fight – we’re all going to end up rolling around on the floor and someone will shout ‘Will ye just go home!’ And all the goodness will be taken out of it!”
‘Hardy Bucks’ is a co-production by Integral Productions and Hardy Productions. It was filmed in Swinford, Co. Mayo by Simon Keenan and Patrick Downey.
- ‘Hardy Bucks’will broadcast on RTÉ Two on Tuesday, October 12th at 10.50pm.
