A RUMOUR THAT simply refuses to die is the suggestion that RTE said no when offered Father Ted more than 20 years ago, but don’t let that make you think the classic priestcom’s writers have any time for our national broadcaster.
Graham Linehan, one half of Ted’s writing team with Arthur Mathews, has taken to Twitter to deliver a particularly scorching burn regarding RTE’s approach to original comedy.
He begins the tirade by suggesting that giving the sitcom to RTE back in 1994 would have been counter-productive as they were ‘useless’ at the time.
The sitcom in question, The Walshes, was broadcast for three episodes in early 2014 before being discontinued after the BBC and RTE, who co-funded the production, passed on an extension.
Linehan’s primary frustration appears to be that it was the first time he had written specifically for an Irish audience since Father Ted and yet he was unable to get a response from the broadcaster.
This has led to some Twitter users nodding in agreement:
While this guy sees it as more a case of art imitating life:
You can read the full tirade on Linehan’s timeline, beginning here.
An RTE spokesperson gave TheJournal.ie this response when asked about the suggestion writers can’t get a response from them regarding their work:
“RTE is serious about supporting new writing, and will continue to do so.”
The prestigious win for Love/Hate at this weekend’s Celtic Media Awards, beating the BBC’s Sherlock as Best Drama, and recent awards for the latest Storyland series on RTE Player, including Shaun Blaney’s award for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the International Academy of Web Television Awards earlier this month, are testament to RTE’s commitment to developing new writers and new writing.
Regarding The Walshes itself, the station says it was “very proud” of and “very happy” with the series.
However, as a part funder, RTE was not in a position to provide majority funding once the BBC decided not to recommission the series.
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