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Red Rock
GenreSoap opera
Police procedural
Created byPeter McKenna
StarringPresent cast
Theme music composerDebbie Wiseman
Country of originIreland
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes169 (as of 4 February 2019)[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersEd Guiney
Peter McKenna
John Yorke
ProducersTrevor Colgan
Hugh Farley
Paula Heffernan
Lauren MacKenzie
David Mansell
Gareth Philips
Production locationsJohn Player Factory, South Circular Road Dublin 8
Dún Laoghaire, Rathdown
Howth, Northside, Dublin
CinematographyCiarán Tanham
EditorsSean Keeley
Malcolm Moloney
Brian O'Neill
John Phillipson
Camera setupSingle-camera setup
Running timeRegular episodes:[a]
22 minutes (2015–2016)
45 minutes (2016–2019)
Special episodes:[b]
90 minutes
Production companiesElement Pictures
Company Pictures
Original release
NetworkVirgin Media One
Release7 January 2015 (2015-01-07) –
1 April 2019 (2019-04-01)

Red Rock is an Irish television soap opera. Developed as a co-production between Element Pictures and Company Pictures, the programme was originally devised by Peter McKenna who served as the initial showrunner. The first series, consisting of eighty 22-minute episodes, premièred on TV3 (now Virgin Media One) in Ireland on 7 January 2015 as a primetime fixture in the schedule. The programme was renewed for a third series, which began airing on 13 March 2017 and is set to conclude in 2019. It is the first soap opera that has been launched in Ireland since Ros na Rún in 1996.

Set in a fictional seaside suburb on the northside of Dublin, the programme features an ensemble cast and primarily follows the domestic and professional lives of the police force working at the local garda station as well as two feuding families, the Kielys and the Hennessys, whose differences often involve them getting into trouble with the gardaí. New main characters have been both written in and out of the programme since its inception. The programme aims to explore some of the issues facing modern day Ireland,[2] and has tackled subjects such as drug addiction, gang violence, garda corruption, statutory rape and racism.[3]

The programme's debut on TV3 attracted one of the highest viewership ratings for a première on the network's video on demand service, 3Player (now Virgin Media Player). Despite a slump in ratings in its home country, the show has maintained strong viewership oversees, becoming one of Ireland's most successful television exports. Red Rock has received positive reviews by critics throughout its run and has won numerous awards, including the IFTA Gala Television Award for Best Soap and Continuing Drama in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Cathy Belton, Andrea Irvine, Sean Mahon, Jane McGrath and Patrick Ryan have also received IFTA Gala Television Award nominations for their performances in the show.[4][5]

The programme was previously filmed at John Player Factory in Dublin, as well as on location in Kimmage, Dún Laoghaire and Howth. On 25 August 2017, TV3 announced that the lease on the current set allotment at John Player Factory had expired, effectively putting the production of the programme on an indefinite hiatus. However, on 30 August 2017, it was announced that a two-part special episode would be filmed later in the year to wrap up all of the ongoing storylines, with production for a future series still under negotiation.

Production and development

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In August 2013, Jeff Ford, the director of programmes for TV3, announced that he would be inviting a number of British and Irish production companies to pitch ideas for a twice-weekly primetime soap opera to compete against the established Fair City.[6] The broadcaster received a total of 16 applications from various production companies including Lime Pictures, but in March 2014 the contract was eventually given to Element Pictures and Company Pictures as a joint production, with John Yorke acting as one of the programme's showrunners.[7][8] In May 2014, the programme was given the working title Red Rock, which was later kept as the official title and the producers for the programme stated that they expected it to air by January 2015.[9] The programme was officially commissioned on 4 March 2014 and to date, 200 episodes have been ordered by the broadcaster.[10]

Series overview

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1807 January 2015 (2015-01-07)31 December 2015 (2015-12-31)
261426 January 2016 (2016-01-06)26 May 2016 (2016-05-26)
1912 September 2016 (2016-09-12)6 March 2017 (2017-03-06)
3401413 March 2017 (2017-03-13)31 May 2017 (2017-05-31)
2622 January 2018 (2018-01-22)[c]TBA

Cast and characters

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Release

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Broadcast and distribution

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In the United States and New Zealand, series 1 and 2 of the programme can be streamed on Amazon Video.[11][12]

Marketing

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Reception

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Critical response

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Television ratings

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The première episode of Red Rock was watched by a cumulative audience of 410,800 viewers on its opening night.[13][14] Its original screening averaged 323,000 viewers,[15] attaining an 18.3% audience share.[16] The repeat on TV3 +1 attracted an additional 18,300 viewers and the episode has become the most streamed première episode ever on the video on demand service, 3Player.[16][17] The second episode attracted a combined 398,500 viewers,[18] with the initial broadcast receiving 302,900 viewers (17.5% audience share)[19] and beating both episodes of rival soap opera Emmerdale which were watched by 285,300 and 266,500 viewers, respectively.[20]

Awards and accolades

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Year Organisation Category Recipient Result Ref.
2015 IFTA Gala Television Awards Best Director in a Soap or Comedy Lisa Mulcahy Won [21][22][4]
Best Female Performance in a Soap or Comedy Cathy Belton Nominated
Jane McGrath Nominated
Best Male Performance in a Soap or Comedy Sean Mahon Nominated
Best Soap and Continuing Drama Red Rock Won
Best Writer in a Soap or Comedy Peter McKenna Nominated
People's Choice Award Red Rock Won
2016 Best Director in a Soap or Comedy Diarmuid Goggins Nominated [23][24][5]
Lisa Mulcahy Nominated
Best Female Performance in a Soap or Comedy Andrea Irvine Nominated
Jane McGrath Nominated
Best Male Performance in a Soap or Comedy Sean Mahon Nominated
Patrick Ryan Nominated
Best Soap and Continuing Drama Red Rock Won
Best Writer in a Soap or Comedy Peter McKenna Nominated
2018 Irish Film Board Rising Star Award Ann Skelly Pending [25]

See also

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Notes

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  • a Running time excluding advertisements, with occasional longer/shorter episodes.[3]
  • b Episodes 132 and 133 were broadcast on 9 January 2017 as a single 90-minute transmission to commemorate the show's 2nd anniversary.[26]
  • c Series 3B has been listed as Series 4 on some official media outlets.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Red Rock episode guide". Radio Times. United Kingdom: Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  2. ^ Elkin, David (7 January 2015). "Can Red Rock become a staple in Irish households?". The Daily Edge. Distilled Media. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Slattery, Laura (23 January 2018). "'Red Rock' is back on air, but the big cliffhanger is: for how long?". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b Kelly, Aoife (2 October 2015). "IFTA Television Awards 2015 nominations revealed - new TV3 soap Red Rock leads with 7 noms". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Red Rock leads IFTA TV nominations with eight nods". RTÉ.ie. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  6. ^ Sweeney, Ken (23 August 2013). "TV3 planning to lure Fair City stars to its new soap". Evening Herald. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. ^ Dainty, Sophie (7 November 2013). "'Hollyoaks' producers pitch ideas for new TV3 soap". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  8. ^ Drewett, Meg (4 March 2014). "Former EastEnders executive producer to head up new Irish soap for TV3". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (8 May 2014). "New Irish soap gets working title Red Rock". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  10. ^ Lindsay, Duncan (28 January 2017). "Is popular Irish soap Red Rock about to be axed?". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  11. ^ Brosnan, Seán (24 November 2015). "Amazon Prime acquires rights to TV3's IFTA-winning soap 'Red Rock'". iftn.ie. Irish Film and Television Network. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. ^ Power, Ed (29 November 2015). "Red alert: how TV3 raised the stakes with Red Rock Amazon Prime deal". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  13. ^ "TV3's Red Rock tops 400,000 viewers". marketing.ie. Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  14. ^ Corbett, Karina (8 January 2015). "TV3's new soap pulls in over 400,000 viewers". businessandleadership.com. Business & Leadership Limited. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  15. ^ "TV3 celebrate as new soap Red Rock is HUGE hit - bringing in as many viewers as Emmerdale". goss.ie. AS Goss Ireland Media. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  16. ^ a b Brosnan, Seán (9 January 2015). "410,800 people watch the first episode of 'Red Rock'". iftn.ie. Irish Film and Television Network. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  17. ^ Slattery, Laura (8 January 2015). "TV3 soap 'Red Rock' watched by 323,000 viewers". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  18. ^ Hosford, Paul (9 January 2015). "Red Rock's second episode was seen by quite a few people". TheJournal.ie. Distilled Media. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  19. ^ Corbett, Karina (9 January 2015). "TV3's Red Rock still on a roll with viewers". businessandleadership.com. Business & Leadership Limited. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  20. ^ "What's The Demographic Split For TV Soaps?". bizplus.ie. Business Plus. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  21. ^ Brosnan, Seán (23 October 2015). "IFTA Gala Television Award Winners Announced". iftn.ie. Irish Film and Television Network. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  22. ^ Quigley, Maeve; Healy, Claire (22 October 2015). "IFTAs Television Awards 2015: Full list of winners". irishmirror.ie. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  23. ^ "IFTA Gala Television Awards Nominations 2016". ifta.ie. Irish Film & Television Academy. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  24. ^ O'Grady, Sean (7 October 2016). "Winners announced at the 2016 IFTA TV Awards". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  25. ^ "IFTA Rising Star Award, Sponsored by the Irish Film Board". ifta.ie. Irish Film & Television Academy. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  26. ^ McGowan, Sharon (9 January 2017). "Red Rock returns with shocking scenes as fan-favourite Keith Kiely shows his sinister side". irishmirror.ie. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  27. ^ "3player Red Rock - Series 4". tv3.ie. Virgin Media Ireland. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
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