The BBC has lifted the chaotic lid on “Tall Tales and Murder,” its upcoming dark comedic drama from “Love/Hate” creator Stuart Carolan and co-created with Emmy and DGA award winning “Veep” director Chris Addison.
First announced last year and shot in Ireland, the wild-sounding six-part series mixes what the synopsis describes as a “Bonnie and Clyde style adventure of bent cops, kidnapping, underworld fixers (not to mention libido-enhancing horse medication bootleggers) and the dilemmas of unconventional heroes and villains with an 8th century tall tale of monks, Vikings, buried treasure and a priceless holy book.” Yes, exactly.
A co-commission from BBC Northern Ireland and RTÉ in association with Screen Ireland, “Tall Tales and Murder” is produced by Avalon (“Breeders,” ‘Starstruck, “Catastrophe”) in association with Ireland-based Metropolitan Pictures (“Kin”) and will broadcast on BBC One and BBC One Northern Ireland this fall.
In newly-released plot details, the series will follow Bridget, played by Ella-Lily Hyland (“Black Doves,” “Towards Zero”), an unconventional nurse who works the night shift at a Dublin nursing home. She reads the old folk bedtime horror stories, arranges clandestine late night dances and euthanises them if they ask nicely.
But into this secret world comes Paul (Casey Walsh in his first television acting role), a young man stuck stealing cars to repay a debt to crime boss Ma Baker, played by Philippa Dunne (“Amandaland,” “Derry Girls”). Paul is desperate to stay out of prison and needs a legitimate job to keep him safe, so calls on his guardian-angel-of-sorts, an irascible detective called Bunny Ryan, played by Brian Doherty (“Blackshore, Fair City”). Bunny uses his personal history with the Matron of Bridget’s nursing home, played by Aisling O’Sullivan (Raw, The Clinic), to pull in a favour — a favour that will cost him dear.
On Bridget and Paul’s first shift together at the nursing home, a mysterious, comatose patient known only as Anonymous, played by Aidan Gillen (“Love/Hate,” “Game of Thrones”), wakes up and reveals he’s the long-lost gangster Grinner McNair, with a buried hoard of Celtic gold. But they’re not the only ones after it — things get complicated as vicious gangster Wesley Swanson, played by Packy Lee (“Peaky Blinders”), and his henchmen close in.
“Tall Tales and Murder,” was filmed in the Republic of Ireland and is based on the nine-book “Dublin Trilogy” by Caimh McDonnell.
The series was commissioned by David Crean, RTÉ head of drama, and Dermot Horan, RTÉ director of acquisitions & co-productions; and Eddie Doyle, head of content commissioning, and Jason Butler, commissioning editor, for BBC Northern Ireland. Produced by Avalon in association with Metropolitan Pictures, “Tall Tales & Murder” is executive produced by Addison, Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, Stuart Carolan and Jon Thoday for Avalon, with David McLoughlin and Catherine Tiernan for Metropolitan Pictures. Caroline Norris is series producer, Gemma O’Shaughnessy is producer and the series is directed by Addison and Neasa Hardiman. It will be distributed internationally by Avalon.
See the trailer below:

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