16-521: The Irish R.M. is a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross . It is set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland. The television series is based on stories drawn from: All three books are in the public domain and can be accessed and used without royalty. The various stories concern the life of an Irish ex- British Army officer, Major Sinclair Yeates, recently appointed
32-600: A Resident Magistrate (R.M.) in Ireland, when the entire island was still part of the United Kingdom. In the television series the Major is English and has previously spent little or no time in Ireland. Also there is Slipper's ABC of Foxhunting (Longmans Green & Co., London, 1903), an album of 20 paintings, by Edith Somerville, illustrating various fox-hunting scenes, with verse commentary by Slipper. A television series based on
48-456: A British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. Launched in 1997, Acorn Media U.K. Limited distributes collectible home video products in the U.K. market. By design, Acorn U.K.'s product line often overlaps with the Acorn Media U.S. line. This division of the company also serves as
64-498: A few central characters. Director Roy Ward Baker said it was "beautifully done." Morristown Lattin – the house used as Aussolas Castle, the residence of Beryl Reid's incarnation of the erstwhile Mrs Knox (located at Newhall, Naas in County Kildare), was badly damaged by fire following completion of filming for the series. It has since been repaired. Johnstown Kennedy – the house used as Major Yeates' residence, Shreelane House –
80-534: A lower joke rate than sitcoms . In the very influential Greek theatre , plays were considered comedies or tragedies. This concept even influenced Roman theatre and theatre of the Hellenistic period . Theatre of that era is thought to have long-lasting influence, even in modern narrative works. Even today, works are often classified into two broad buckets, dramas and comedies. For instance, many awards that recognize achievements in film and television today, such as
96-438: A permanent presence in the U.K. television programming community, a primary source of both Acorn Media U.S. and Acorn U.K. acquisitions. Important programming franchises for this Acorn division include New Tricks , Criminal Justice , Midsomer Murders , Foyle's War , Trial & Retribution , Wild at Heart , Wainwright Walks , and Inspector George Gently . In April 2007, Acorn Media U.K. launched Acacia U.K.,
112-457: A subtle manner by guest characters. Notable among these are several visiting officials from Dublin Castle who regard the Major's dispensation of justice as unduly lenient, and a Catholic canon with strong Irish nationalist sympathies who exploits the naivety of the Major for his own purposes. In every case, the comfortable, if somewhat adversarial, co-existence of the Major and the local population
128-639: Is a movie or program that balances the elements of a drama and a comedy. Also known as a comedy drama, this hybrid genre often deals with real life situations, grounded characters, and believable situations. The ratio between the drama and comedy can vary, but most of the time there is an equal measure of both, with neither side dominating. Abreu also adds that dramedies often deal with relatable and serious topics such as divorce, illness, hardship, and heartache. Examples of comedy dramas in film include: Examples of television comedy dramas include: Acorn Media UK RLJE International Ltd , d/b/a Acorn Media ,
144-471: Is at risk. One element of the series' humour involves the efforts of Flurry and the Major to hasten the departure of these troublesome visitors. One of the show's key strengths lies in its ability to convey the extent to which the lives of the Anglo-Irish gentry and the simple, if rather stilted local characters, often became inadvertently intertwined to produce the memorable comic effects that are so unique to
160-693: The Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards segregate several award categories into these two classifications. The 20th century saw a rise in film and television works that could be described as comedy-dramas. The term is a translation from the French "comédie dramatique". The portmanteau "dramedy" came to be in the 1980s. In January 2022, Rafael Abreu, writing for the StudioBinder filmmaking blog, defined this genre as follows: A dramedy
176-408: The portmanteau dramedy , is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama . In films, serious dramatic themes (such as death, illness, etc.) are dealt with realism and subtlety, while preserving a humorous tenor. In television, modern scripted comedy dramas tend to have more humour integrated into the story than the comic relief common in drama series but usually contain
SECTION 10
#1733086030168192-506: The Irish psyche. All three series of The Irish R.M. were issued on DVD in the UK, distributed by Acorn Media UK . The DVD also includes an Ulster TV documentary about the filming of the first series. There are two slideshows, one of profiles of the lead actors and the other sample recipes from Mrs Cadogan's Cookbook ( ISBN 0-09-158191-5 ). Comedy-drama Comedy drama , also known by
208-466: The books was made in the 1980s, and was filmed in Ireland at locations in counties Kildare and Wicklow with additional locations in the west of Ireland in a co-production between Ulster Television and Raidió Teilifís Éireann . It was broadcast on Channel 4 and S4C in the United Kingdom, and RTÉ One in the Republic of Ireland. Like the books, the television series is a number of short stories around
224-521: The television series begins in 1897, when the Major departs for Ireland, and ends shortly after the death of Edward VII . The R.M. has to deal with all sorts of everyday events with colourful characters, often being outfoxed by the machinations of his Anglo-Irish friend, Flurry Knox ( Bryan Murray ). Anna Manahan played the redoubtable housekeeper, Mrs Cadogan, while Virginia Cole played Bridget. Political references are, however, not completely absent; where they occur, they are invariably introduced in
240-434: Was situated near Rathcoole, County Dublin . The extensive outbuildings were transformed into shops and pubs for some of the village scenes. The house was demolished soon after the third series was completed and a golf course now stands on the site. The design of the course preserved the large number of mature trees, and in addition the house's date stone and a number of other items are on display. Furness House, near Naas ,
256-535: Was used as Castle Knox, the home of Sir Valentine and Lady Knox and their daughter Sally. For the second and third series, many of the Skebawn village scenes were filmed in Robertstown . Major Yeates ( Peter Bowles ) is portrayed as an Englishman, and much of the humour of the first series derives from his difficulty in adjusting to the more relaxed class boundaries and slower pace of life of rural Ireland. The timeline of
#167832