Deadpan Pictures’ comedy Nowhere Fast has started shooting in Dublin. The brainchild of stand-up comedian Alison Spittle, Nowhere Fast is a comedy about life in small town Ireland as seen from the perspective of the returning millennial. Alison will play our leading lady, Angela.
Starring alongside Spittle are Clare Monnelly (Moone Boy), Genevieve Hulme Beaman (Pondling) as Angela’s best friends Mary and Brid, with Angela’s family being played by a stellar cast including Cathy Belton (Red Rock, Philomena, Roy) and Mark Doherty (Moone Boy, A Film with Me in It). Written by Spittle and Simon Mulholland, with additional writing by Cian McGarrigle. Deadpan are delighted that they have managed to coax International Emmy and BAFTA nominated director Simon Gibney (Bull for UKTV) back to Dublin for this series.
Nowhere Fast is a comedy about women in rural Ireland, and one woman in particular. Fresh from a disaster in her media career in the big smoke, Angela returns to her family home to lick her wounds and plan her next move. Can she escape the quicksand of small town Ireland and get her life back on track? And in the meantime can she keep her friends and family happy so she can get lifts?
The series is commissioned by RTE 2 with the support of BAI, Section 481 and with BBC Worldwide representing international rights. Transmission will be on RTE later this year.
Commenting on the news, producer Ailish McElmeel said:
I’m delighted to bring another strong female comedy to Irish audiences. I only hope this doesn’t type cast me as a producer – but if it does I’ll happily keep making comedy with fantastic women. Alison’s voice is truly fresh and fantastically funny, we can’t wait to bring the midlands to the masses.
Alison Spittle added:
Making a T.V show is a lot like Laser hair removal, It’s a thing I’d never seen myself doing, it’s a thing for people more glamorous and organised than myself, to be honest I’ve no idea how it’s done. Now it’s happening, I wake up some mornings and maybe ten minutes go by before I remember “hey you’re making a TV show”. I’m proud to be involved and excited to make a show about the midlands in all it’s glory.
Director Simon Gibney chimed in with:
Directing this heart felt series that touches tragedy and comedy in equal measures, with such a stellar cast and a top drawer crew, coupled with Alison’s honest voice and intimate writing, has made this an extraordinary project to bring from script to screen.
Gemma Brandler, BBC Worldwide’s Manager for Comedy said:
Set in rural Ireland, Nowhere Fast is all about the misadventures you get up to in your twenties, with a unique take on life in a small town. Alison has a fantastic ear for millennial dialogue and we believe that her voice will resonate with audiences the world over.