First look: Conor and Jock return in fourth season of The Young Offenders
Billy Murphy (Shane Casey) and Conor MacSweeney (Alex Murphy) in The Young Offenders Season 4. Picture: Miki Barlok
The first pictures of the fourth season of the hit comedy series have been released ahead of its return.
The show has become a phenomenon in Ireland and Britain, with audiences tuning in regularly to watch the escapades of Corkonians Conor MacSweeney (Alex Murphy), his best friend Jock O'Keeffe (Chris Walley) and his Conor's mam, Mairead (Hilary Rose).
The show has won multiple awards since it first aired in the aftermath of the success of the original film in 2016.
Both RTÉ and the BBC are said to be delighted with its success, as shown when Season 4 was commissioned in 2023.
Commissioning editor at the BBC Ben Caudell said at the time: "We’re so happy to have back on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, so that viewers once again enjoy the adventures, and misadventures, of all these brilliant comic characters — they may not be quite so young, but they’re still very much offenders.
In 2023, there were more than 6.3 million who tuned in to watch the Cork-based sitcom on the BBC iPlayer.
Creator of the series Peter Foott added: “We’re over the moon to have been commissioned for Series 4 of the show on BBC One, and of course always grateful for the ongoing support of RTÉ.
"Audiences have been asking for more of the journeys of these characters and we’re very excited to take the show in new directions for Series 4 and can’t wait to bring it back to TV screens."
The upcoming series is directed by Jamie Jay Johnson.
While there is no official return date set yet for the show, the BBC said that it is "coming soon", with transmission details in due course.
For Irish viewers, there may be a bit longer to wait, after news last year that as part of cuts in RTÉ, the transmission of s will be deferred until at least 2025.
