The experience of one Irish racing community is the subject of a new docusoap, whose crew has been tracking events at Commonstown Racing Stables in Co Kildare since the National Hunt season kicked off last autumn. Originally commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland, the six-part series is now being produced by Agtel/Independent Pictures as a joint BBC/RTE coproduction. The series is based on a rural community, but the producers are at pains to point out that this is not Istabraq-does-Ballykissangel. However, with an eclectic-sounding mix of characters - from Rolling Stone Ron Wood, who has a horse at the stables, to the local tipster priest - such comparisons seem fairly inevitable. The production people have been ensconced in the stables since October, and will have spent six months living with their subjects when the shoot finishes at the end of April. Using a low-cost digital editing system which enabled them to edit a rough-cut on site, the producers have already got two episodes in the can, and the series could be ready to air as early as the end of April. A transmission slot has yet to be confirmed on either channel, but the docusoap looks set to get a network slot on BBC 2 on Friday nights.
THE controversial RTE/BBC Northern Ireland drama Rebel Heart, based on events surrounding the Civil War, has taken one of the top prizes at the Monte Carlo Television Festival. The Nymphe D'Or award for Best Director went to John Strickland for his work on the four-part series. Strickland's other directing credits include the BBC drama series Clocking Off and Undercover Heart. The drama caused controversy before it was even broadcast, when Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble wrote to the chairman of the BBC, questioning the decision to screen Rebel Heart "at such a sensitive time" politically in the North.
TV3 is to host a Coronation Street party to celebrate a massive boost in viewing figures since the soap moved in. The soap regularly commands 550,000-650,000 viewers for the commercial channel. A number of actors from "The Street" are expected to be flown in for the bash, which comes just days after the soap airs its 5,000th episode on March 11th. Kevin Kennedy, who plays Curly Watts, and his on-screen partner Emma, played by Angela Lonsdale, are expected to be in Dublin for the party, which will take place in Lillies Bordello.
ITV is seeking to emulate the success of its entertainment show, Popstars, by switching the idea from pop to soap. Like Popstars, Soapstars will be a talent search/ docusoap - this time the aim will be to find a new family for one of the channel's established drama series. Popstars proved to be a massive success for ITV, regularly pulling in more than 10 million viewers. The show charted the selection of a teen band, from the audition of more than 3,000 young hopefuls to the formation of the five-member band Hearsay, who release their debut single next week. Auditions for Soapstars are to take place later this year. Unlike Popstars, there will be no age limit for participants, as ITV is looking for an entire soap family. Emmerdale is expected to be the vehicle for the budding stars.
CHANNEL 4 and the BBC are teaming up for a celebrity Big Brother special in aid of Comic Relief. Six celebrities will move into the Big Brother house next Friday, and one will be voted out every day until Red Nose Day, the following Friday. The celebrity version will mirror the original show but, unlike the original, there will be no cameras in the toilet or shower room. Programmes will be broadcast daily on BBC1 and Channel 4, with the final eviction taking place on BBC1 on Red Nose Day. The identities of the celebrities will not be revealed until the day they move in.
Maire Kearney can be contacted at mkearney@irish-times.com