Quirke (TV series)
A three-part crime drama based on John Banville's Quirke novels.
Quirke, a three-part crime drama, aired in 2014 on both BBC One and RTÉ One. The series draws from John Banville’s Quirke novels, which he wrote under the pen name Benjamin Black, and was adapted for television by Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson. The main cast includes Gabriel Byrne as Quirke, alongside Nick Dunning, Aisling Franciosi, Michael Gambon, Geraldine Somerville, Stanley Townsend, and Brian Gleeson. Production was commissioned by Danny Cohen and Ben Stephenson, with executive producers Jessica Pope (BBC), Ed Guiney (Element Pictures), and Joan Egan (Tyrone Productions), and Lisa Osborne as producer. The Irish Film Board provided a production loan of £389,388. Filming took place in Dublin from 19 November 2012 to 8 March 2013, at locations such as Baggot Street, Camden Street, and the main set at Clancy Barracks. RTÉ One premiered the series on 16 February 2014, before its BBC One broadcast. The series was sold to broadcasters in Germany (Degeto), Croatia (HRT), Denmark (Danmarks Radio), Iceland (RÚV), and Slovenia (RTV). It also aired on BBC UKTV in New Zealand (March 2014), NERIT in Greece (January 2015), PBS in the US (3 April 2015), and Knowledge Network in Canada (August 2015). A DVD edition was released in the UK on 9 June 2014.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Crime / Drama
- Writer
- Andrew Davies / Conor McPherson
- Director
- John Alexander / Diarmuid Lawrence / Jim O'Hanlon
- Composer
- Rob Lane
- Country
- United Kingdom / Ireland
- Language
- English
- Num Series
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 3
- Executive Producer
- Jessica Pope / John McColgan / Ed Guiney / Joan Egan
- Producer
- Lisa Osborne
- Location
- Dublin
- Cinematography
- Alan Almond / Tony Miller / Ruairi O'Brien
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Quirke was commissioned by Danny Cohen and Ben Stephenson. Executive producers included Jessica Pope for the BBC, Ed Guiney for Element Pictures, and Joan Egan for Tyrone Productions, with Lisa Osborne as producer. The series received a £389,388 production loan from the Irish Film Board. Filming took place in Dublin from 19 November 2012 to 8 March 2013, with locations including Baggot Street, Camden Street, and the main set at Clancy Barracks.
The regular cast featured Gabriel Byrne as Quirke, Nick Dunning as Malachi Griffin, Aisling Franciosi as Phoebe Griffin, Michael Gambon as Judge Garret Griffin, Geraldine Somerville as Sarah Griffin, Stanley Townsend as Inspector Hackett, and Brian Gleeson as Sinclair. RTÉ One began broadcasting the series before BBC One, debuting on 16 February 2014.
Reader's Guide
Quirke represents a notable adaptation of John Banville's crime novels, bringing the atmospheric Dublin-set stories to television. The series was sold to five broadcasters, airing in Germany (Degeto), Croatia (HRT), Denmark (Danmarks Radio), Iceland (RÚV), and Slovenia (RTV). It also broadcast on BBC UKTV in New Zealand in March 2014, on NERIT in Greece in January 2015, on PBS in the US on 3 April 2015, and on Knowledge Network in Canada in August 2015. The DVD edition was released in the UK on 9 June 2014. Its significance lies in its high-profile cast and the collaboration between BBC and RTÉ, as well as its international distribution, which brought Irish crime fiction to a global audience.
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