BritBox UK commissions an original comedy-drama series The Dry

BritBox UK commissions an original comedy-drama series The Dry

London, August 11: BritBox UK today announced that the streamer has commissioned an Original comedy-drama series entitled, The Dry; produced by Element Pictures, in association with Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland and ITV Studios, in partnership with RTÉ.

Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Nancy Harris (Dates) and acclaimed director Paddy Breathnach (Viva, Rosie) are behind the eight-part series set in Dublin, which began shooting on Monday, and debuts exclusively on BritBox UK in 2022. 

Starring Roisin Gallagher (The Fall, Nowhere Special), Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones, The Terror), Pom Boyd (Vanity Fair, Frank of Ireland), Siobhán Cullen (Origin, The Limehouse Golem), Moe Dunford (The Dig, Vikings) and newcomer Adam Richardson, THE DRY celebrates the joyful chaos and dark absurdities of family life in a series that is all about recovery.

When Shiv Sheridan (Gallagher) returns to Dublin after years of partying in London, she is sober and full of good intentions - but being back with her family makes staying on ‘the dry’ much harder than she expected.  As Shiv tries to navigate this new phase of her life, so must her family...and they all have issues they don’t want to face.

Emma Norton and Michael Dawson are Exec Producing for Element alongside company founders Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe and writer Nancy Harris. Element Pictures has offices in Dublin, London, and Belfast. The company recently brought the record-breaking adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People to the screen, and was behind Lenny Abrahamson’s internationally acclaimed films Room and The Little Stranger; as well as all of Yorgos Lanthimos’ English language films, The Favourite, The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, and upcoming production Poor Things. 

Will Harrison, Managing Director BritBox UK said “We are delighted to be working with Element Pictures, Nancy, Paddy and the team to bring the Sheridans’ story to life, and are looking forward to sharing The Dry with our subscribers next year.”

Producers Element Pictures added “In The Dry, Nancy Harris has created an irreverent, hilarious, and deeply moving story of addiction, recovery and fractured family relationships. We are thrilled to be working with Nancy, the inimitable Paddy Breathnach and our massively talented Irish cast and crew to bring the chaotic world of the Sheridan family to the BritBox audience.”

Andrew Byrne, Project Manager, Television, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland said “We are delighted to support this emotional and powerful Irish TV drama from Element Pictures and the talented team behind The Dry. This is a great example of the calibre and scale of Irish story-telling and scripted series which are translating to audiences across the globe”.

Sam Atwell, Development Executive, RTÉ said "We're very excited and proud to be collaborating with such a talented team in Element Pictures, Nancy Harris and Paddy Breathnach, and the wonderful cast of The Dry to bring this heartfelt, mischievously funny, and emotionally impacting Irish story to the world."

Screenwriter Nancy Harris said “I’m over the moon to be working with Element Pictures, Paddy Breathnach and this spectacular cast of insanely talented Irish actors. It’s a dream collaboration and I can’t wait to bring the BritBox audience this family comedy-drama which pivots on the oxymoron of giving up drink in Ireland.”

Director Paddy Breathnach added “I’m really delighted to be working with Element Pictures again and be part of bringing Nancy Harris’ extraordinary scripts to the screen. We have a truly brilliant cast of Irish actors on board and I can’t wait to get started.”

ITV Studios is handling global distribution for The Dry

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About Element Pictures 

Element Pictures is an award-winning film and drama production company run by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, with offices in Dublin, London and Belfast. 

Recent film and television productions include Lenny Abrahamson’s award-winning series NORMAL PEOPLE (BBC Three / HULU), based on Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning THE FAVOURITE.

Previous film productions include all of Lenny Abrahamson’s films, including Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning ROOM, THE LITTLE STRANGER and Yorgos Lanthimos’ English language films THE LOBSTER (Jury Prize, Cannes), THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER and; as well as Sebastián Lelio’s DISOBEDIENCE. 

Current television and film productions include Nancy Harris’ comedy drama series THE DRY; the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS (BBC Three / HULU) and Sebastián Lelio’s THE WONDER, with Florence Pugh.

Upcoming television and film productions include Shane Meadows’ period drama debut THE GALLOWS POLE (BBC); and Yorgos Lanthimos’ POOR THINGS (Searchlight Pictures), starring Emma Stone and Stephen William’s historical biopic CHEVALIER (Searchlight Pictures), starring Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Upcoming film releases include Sean Durkin’s THE NEST (BBC Films / FilmNation); Phyllida Lloyd’s HERSELF; and Joanna Hogg’s THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER (BBC Films and A24) and THE SOUVENIR PART II (BBC Films and A24), both executive produced by Martin Scorsese. THE SOUVENIR PART II enjoyed its world premiere at Directors’ Fortnight 2021.

Element Pictures also runs a distribution company in Ireland as well as the Light House Cinema in Dublin and Pálás Cinema in Galway.

About BritBox UK

BritBox is a digital video subscription service created by the BBC and ITV. The service brings the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place for £5.99 per month in HD. British TV boxsets from All 4 and British films from Film 4 are also available. The service includes high quality factual and entertainment content from Channel 5 plus original British comedies from Comedy Central UK. BritBox features the biggest collection of British content available on any streaming service, and brand new commissions for British production companies specifically created for BritBox. BritBox also offers expert curation and playlists that will enable viewers to easily find programmes they know and discover new favourites  via web, mobile, tablet, connected TVs and streaming devices including Fire TV, Apple TV, Freesat & Chromecast. Content on BritBox can be downloaded and viewed offline where rights allow.

About Screen Ireland

As the national agency for the Irish film, television drama, animation and documentary industry, Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland is the creative partner to the sector, investing in talent, creativity and enterprise.  We are inspired by original storytelling that will emotionally move audiences at home and abroad. Through a wide range of practical funding supports across development, production, distribution, promotion and skills development, Screen Ireland supports the sector at every stage. We support filmmakers in their creative pursuit to share valuable artistic, cultural and commercial stories on screen. 

Recent TV drama projects supported by Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland include the multi award winning series Normal People produced by Element Pictures for BBC and Hulu, Holding, based on the Graham Norton novel for ITV produced by Port Pictures and Smother produced by Treasure Entertainment for RTÉ.

About RTÉ   

RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) is Ireland's national public-service media organisation. RTÉ commissions a broad range of high-quality programming and content to meet the needs of multiple audiences. Further information can be found here: https://about.rte.ie/