BBC UNVEILS THREE NEW DRAMA SHORTS: HELPLESS, MOURNING GLORY AND REWARDING

Three short films have been named as part of the Green Lit initiative – a collaboration between BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen supporting emerging writing, production, directing and acting talent from Northern Ireland.

HELPLESS

Helpless is the Belfast scripted indie FABEL Productions' black comedy thriller starring George Robinson (Sex Education, Silo), Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls, This City is Ours), Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment, A Very Royal Scandal) and Vanessa Ifediora (Foundation, Derry Girls).

Newly disabled wheelchair-user Cillian (George Robinson) is a hopeless romantic, down-on-his-luck and obsessed with the curious girl next door, Grace (Saoirse-Monica Jackson). He suspects her shady boyfriend Joe (Éanna Hardwicke) is abusing her, but help is in short supply - even his personal care assistant Fleur (Vanessa Ifediora) has fallen for Joe’s charms. Desperate to save Grace, Cillian must overcome his fears and confront Joe himself, but behind closed doors the situation is more complex than he ever could have imagined.

Helpless is a contemporary story from Northern Ireland with high stakes, dark comedy, and unexpected characters, written by multi-award-winning writers Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney (My Left Nut). Cillian’s situation is inspired by Michael’s real-life experience as a newly disabled wheelchair user. Helpless explores prejudice, the lengths people will go to for love, and how things are not always as they seem.

MOURNING GLORY

Mourning Glory (Working Title) written and created by Shane McNaughton, is a Fíbín Films NI production starring Nigel O'Neill (Bad Day For The Cut, Say Nothing) and Amy Huberman (Flora and Son, Derry Girls).

It follows Dermot (Nigel O’Neill), a recent widower who seeks unlikely solace in attending one wake after another. Encouraged by his neighbour Jimmy, played by Lalor Roddy (That They May Face The Rising Sun, Say Nothing), Dermot's growing morbid curiosity leads to an awkward encounter with rookie undertaker Deirdre (Amy Huberman) and her funeral obsessed son, played by Finn Lennox Loughran (Say Nothing, Jimmy Won't be at Work Today).

This dark comedy breathes life into death through the world of wakes and funerals in the rural Glens of Northern Ireland. It has been written and created by Shane McNaughton for Fíbín Films NI. Exec produced by Darach Ó Tuairisg and Ciarán Charles Ó Conghaile, produced by Méabh Nic Alastair and directed by John Carlin.

REWARDING

Rewarding is a workplace comedy from Conker Pictures (a Banijay UK company) that follows co-workers Sinead played by Seána Kerslake (Ballywalter, Blue Lights) and Francis (comedian Vittorio Angelone in his first acting role) as they navigate their first shift together in a private domiciliary care facility – a set of bungalows in rural mid-Ulster.

New employee Sinead is an unstoppable force of positivity and idealism while long term carer Francis is an immovable object of cynicism and pragmatism.

Tasked with providing round the clock care for adults with learning difficulties and behavioural challenges, today’s client is Cal (Lee Snodgrass), an autistic 30 year old whose “challenging behaviour” is the stuff of legends. During this shift, Sinead and Francis’ very differing approaches to social care will come into conflict.

Based on the writer's own hard-earned experiences and observations over years spent in the sometime strange “sticking plaster on a broken leg” world of social care. The title is an in-joke amongst support workers, as the response to telling people what they do for a living is almost always (a slightly patronising) “that must be challenging... but rewarding”.

Rewarding also features Joanne Crawford (Blue Lights), Paul Mallon and Jo Dow and is written by Matthew McDevitt, executive produced for Conker Pictures by Kim Varvell and Tommy Bulfin, produced by Marie-Thérèse Mackle and directed by David Moody.

The films will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland in 2025 and carried on BBC iPlayer across the UK and will act as a ‘proof of concept’ for a bigger television production.