Young Offenders film set for the small screen

The Young Offenders film is being turned into a six-part series.

The movie, set in Cork, has now been commissioned by BBC Three and BBC Comedy, in association with RTÉ, to be turned into six half hour shows.

Originally a feature length film, The Young Offenders tells the tale of two young Corkonians who take off in search of their fortune, in the form of a bale of cocaine, lost some 160km outside the city, on the West coast.

The  misadventures of loveable rogues Conor MacSweeney and Jock O’Keeffe, played by newcomers Alex Murphy and Chris Walley respectively, along with Conor's long suffering mother Mairead MacSweeney played by Hilary Rose will now take to the small screen.

Peter Foott, who won Best Screenplay for the movie at the IFTAs, will be writer, director and executive producter on the television series.

Peter Foott commented: "It's incredibly exciting to be able to work with the BBC and with RTÉ to bring these characters back to the screen.

“They have been so supportive of the project and will be a wonderful home for it. The public response to the film, and specifically the characters themselves, was just so overwhelming that we really felt there were a lot more stories to tell, so we're very excited to be doing this as a six part television series.

“It's a real honour to have a chance to take these characters on their new adventures and we can't wait to start filming in Cork."

The Young Offenders goes into production in Cork this summer