Sky One HD have unveiled their programming line-up for the upcoming Autumn/Winter season, with Irish-shot productions featuring strongly in the form of ‘Moone Boy’ season two and ‘Moonfleet’, starring Ray Winstone as an 18th century smuggler.
As Chris O’Dowd directs 'Moone Boy' season three in Dublin, Wicklow and Roscommon, Irish viewers will get their first chance to see season two of the IFTA-winning comedy series this Autumn on Sky One.
The new series picks up with Martin Moone experiencing the World Cup hysteria of Italia ’90, before beginning life in secondary school and falling in love with one of his new teachers played by Amy Huberman.
Moonfleet, co-produced by Element Pictures, was one of the big Irish production success stories of the Summer – with IFTN gaining access to the set and an interview with Ray Winstone, coming soon.
A two-part family adventure drama based on the novel by John Meade Falkner, 'Moonfleet' was filmed entirely in Ireland in locations including Howth, Drimnagh Castle, The Kings Inns, Celbridge and Silver Strand as Moonfleet bay.
The plot follows a young man (Citadel’s Aneurin Barnard) who attempts to join a band of smugglers led by Winstone’s Elzevir Block on a sea voyage in search of a lost diamond.
Expect epic sea battles, sword fights and gun duels in a major production which also stars Irish actor Lorcan Cranitch as part of Winstone’s smuggler crew.
Also of Irish interest is the third series of ‘Ross Kemp: Extreme World’, which will include an episode focusing on marching season in Northern Ireland – alongside such locations as Mumbai and Calcutta, Papua New Guinea and Rio de Janeiro.
Stuart Murphy, Director of Sky Entertainment Programmes said: ‘Our major investment in comedy, which began two years ago, continues to be warmly embraced by viewers, with award winning original Sky comedies sitting alongside brilliant US shows. This year our huge investment in drama comes to screen across all Sky channels, with our biggest drama slate ever, with big pieces throughout the year on Sky One, firmly establishing it as the home of broad modern mainstream TV of scale.’
Sky’s most recent commissions are part of the broadcaster’s commitment to increase its investment in original ‘home-grown’ content (which includes Irish-filmed content) by 50% over the next three years.
By 2014, Sky expects to invest €700 million a year in home-grown content.
