BBC shows a major coup for Irish film industry

Two BBC television dramas will be filmed here this year in what is being hailed as a major coup for the Irish Film Board.

Ripper Street and Vexed will begin filming in Ireland in the coming months. The productions are set to create hundreds of jobs and injecting over €10m into the economy.

Ripper Street is an eight-part series set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the notorious Ripper murders. The action centres around the H Division, which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel following the brutal murders.

Filming will take place over 19 weeks and the project is set to inject €8m into the economy, with 250 cast and crew employed.

The second project, Vexed, a police comedy drama, is part-funded by the film board and has two Irish directors, Kieron Walsh and Ian Fitzgibbon. The series is expected to invest €3m in the economy and will employ 100 cast and crew.

The film board also announced a raft upcoming feature films, ranging from Life’s a Breeze, starring Eva Birthistle and Pat Shortt, to Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, with Saoirse Ronan.

Projects set to begin production this year include Song of the Sea, directed by Tomm Moore, Run and Jump, directed by Oscar nominee Steph Green, and At Swim Two Birds, directed by Brendan Gleeson.

James Hickey, chief executive of the film board, said film had a vital role to play in the economic recovery efforts, by its employment creation and contributions to the economy but also through its ability to showcase Ireland and its creative talent across the world.

“The industry has a huge influence on the promotion of Ireland and Irish culture to audiences… with 20% of visitors to Ireland stating that film and television influenced them in their decision to visit this country.

“IFB-funded productions created opportunities for a wide range of Irish creative talent in 2011 and continues to punch above its weight in terms of international recognition…

“By fostering new talent to help secure the future of the industry, strengthening relationships with broadcasters and industry stakeholders while also increasing audiences both at home and abroad, we plan to put in place the key building blocks of the creative capital report and commence the process of doubling employment in the sector over the next five years.”