Butchers and RTE Storyland take TV comedy online

Photo by Charlie Fleetwood

StoryLand is a web drama competition from RTÉ. Now in its second year it is home to new drama series. In each round, the public votes for their favourite show and the series with the least number of votes doesn’t get to make another episode. Episodes are funded at €8,000 each and can be a maximum of 7 minutes.

One of this year’s finalists, the comedy series ‘Butchers’ was edited by Cobh local, Berni Stack, who grew up in Rushbrooke and now lives and works in Dublin as a freelance editor. If you look very closely at Episode One you will spot her and Norwood native, Fiona O’Connell, acting as very convincing extras. Should ‘Butchers’ progress in the competition there is a very strong chance other familiar Cobh faces will turn up in other extras roles, so keep your eyes peeled!

There’s a massive growing buzz online about Butchers and the other four series that are premiering on the Storyland site. Thousands of people have signed up to the corresponding Facebook pages and Twitter feeds as the programme makers build audiences with very limited financial resources. The power of social networks can build a snowball of word-of-mouth instantly and if each production can make the promotion fun such as getting the characters in the shows to tweet the viewers can get involved in new and more interesting ways.

On the RTÉ Storyland site viewers can vote for their favourite series. The shows with the most votes get to stay in the competition and to make another episode. Already thousands of votes have been cast and as words spreads about the programmes this will grow and not just nationally.  Voting is also open internationally, Berni’s sister Julie cast her vote from Perth.

Butchers stars Keith McErlean (RAW, Bachelors Walk) and popular stand-up comedian John Lynn as two architects Gerry and Enda who become victims of the credit crash and the only opportunity available to them is to reopen the butcher’s shop that one of them has just inherited. They’re probably the two worst butcher’s ever, who can’t tell a cow’s tongue from an ox tail.

It’s written and directed by brothers Jason and Brendan Butler. Brendan supports the national broadcaster in creating this opportunity, “This is great competition by RTÉ to give new talent a break and to take risks. The shows feature everything from zombies and vampires to terrible free-runners. It’s a real breeding ground for new comedy and drama.”

Last year’s winners “Hardy Bucks” have garnered huge acclaim and are in development on a full TV series. Which of this year series will make it to the end only the viewers will decide. Watch all the series, and to get behind and show support for Butchers, vote on www.rte.ie/storyland/

And follow Butchers on Twitter – twitter.com/GerryTheButcher

and Facebook – bit.ly/am4Pus