User:AnemoneProjectors/Kat & Alfie: Redwater (series 1)

Episodes
Six hour-long episodes have been produced. They started broadcasting from 14 May 2017 on RTÉ One in Ireland, and will start on 18 May 2017 on BBC One in the United Kingdom. The series will be available in the United States on BritBox at the same time as it's UK broadcast. A 30-second trailer was released by RTÉ One on 28 April 2017 and another by BBC One on 5 May 2017.

Main cast

 * Susan Ateh as Bernie Kelly (6 episodes)
 * Peter Campion as Andrew Kelly (6 episodes)
 * Fionnula Flanagan as Agnes Byrne (6 episodes)
 * Stephen Hogan as Padraig Kelly (6 episodes)
 * Maria Doyle Kennedy as Roisín Kelly (6 episodes)
 * Ebony O'Toole-Acheampong as Adeen Kelly (6 episodes)
 * Shane Richie as Alfie Moon (6 episodes)
 * Oisin Stack as Dermott Dolan (6 episodes)
 * Stanley Townsend as Peter Dolan (6 episodes)
 * Jessie Wallace as Kathleen Moon (6 episodes)
 * Angeline Ball as Eileen Harrington (5 episodes)
 * Ian Toner as Kieran Harrington (5 episodes)
 * Ian McElhinney as Lance Byrne (3 episodes)

Recurring and guest cast

 * Henry Proctor as Tommy Moon (6 episodes)
 * Ryan Burke as Young Andrew (5 episodes)
 * Anton Giltrap as Young Kieran (5 episodes)
 * Alvaro Lucchesi as Doug (5 episodes)
 * Eoin Daly as Young Dermott (4 episodes)
 * Ronan Connett as Jonjo Kelly (3 episodes)
 * Orla Hannon as Iris Dolan (3 episodes)
 * Aisli Moran as Mouse (3 episodes)
 * Mark McKenna as Jimmy (2 episodes)
 * Shashi Rami as Mr Singh (2 episodes)
 * Aine Ni Mhuiri as Pat Donoghue (1 episode)

Conception
In 2015, Alex Lamb, story producer for EastEnders, pitched a storyline that Kat would discover a son she did not know about, and it was hoped that Kat's search for her son would bring the character "new purpose", but it was felt that Kat's search could not be confined to the setting of Albert Square, and a week of EastEnders episodes set in Spain was considered. Treadwell-Collins pitched the week of episodes to then-Controller of Drama, Ben Stephenson, but they realised that the story would be big enough for its own series and Treadwell-Collins thought that Kat and Alfie "could work in a whole new universe" and that "other characters and their stories could be created around them." Originally the series was to be set in Spain, but Treadwell-Collins though it was "too obvious" as the series needed to be "fresh, different and to have soul." Treadwell-Collins came up with the idea of setting the series in Ireland when he was on holiday in New Orleans on St Patrick's Day, and he saw people having fun but also claiming to be Irish. Treadwell-Collins realised that Ireland had not been portrayed in mainstream television since the series Ballykissangel, and the Slater family's (of which Kat is a member) biography in EastEnders states that their origins are in Ireland, and with Wallace, Richie and Treadwell-Collins all having Irish backgrouds, Treadwell-Collins said that "Ireland felt right".

The new series for actors Wallace and Richie was confirmed on 4 April 2015 by Treadwell-Collins. It was announced that the characters of Kat and Alfie would leave EastEnders together, and the series would be set in Ireland. Treadwell-Collins' intention was to create "a new contemporary ensemble drama set in Ireland". Treadwell-Collins called it the "perfect time" for the characters to be taken "out of their comfort zone" and added that his team were "creating a whole new drama that stands apart from EastEnders while taking our style of storytelling to a place of stories, myth, secrets and immeasurable beauty." Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, said: "Life is anything but dull for favourite EastEnders couple Kat and Alfie as they embark on a new life in Ireland in this exciting drama series. Rest assured, their rollercoaster isn't set to end any time soon." Redwater is the first major network drama to derive from EastEnders.

Speaking in reference to the show, Wallace commented, "I have always loved working on EastEnders so when I heard of this new drama to take Kat and Alfie outside of Walford, I couldn't believe our luck. To be exploring the next chapter for Kat as well as working alongside my best mate, Shane, is a dream come true and a huge compliment." Richie said, "Both Jessie and I are absolutely thrilled to be given this amazing opportunity. To have a whole drama focused around Kat and Alfie is a huge honour for us both and we just can't wait to start filming." Treadwell-Collins later spoke again about the new series: "We want to create something big around [Kat and Alfie]. EastEnders as a brand can afford to do it and I've always wanted to do something like that. I'm from Ireland originally, so it's a place I know well. Shane's Irish, Jessie’s half Irish—so, there’s an Irish connection between all of us. The other important thing about the spin-off show is it's not just about Kat and Alfie—we've created a whole new world and a new lot of characters. The writers have created a really lovely, interesting world, but also with our style of storytelling." EastEnders previously had a storyline set in Ireland in 1997, which was heavily criticised for its unflattering depiction of Irish life, but Richie stated the series would not parody Irish life or "play the dopey card".

The village of Redwater was first namechecked in EastEnders on 21 January 2016, and the working title of the series was revealed as Redwater on 26 February 2016. On 13 April 2017, the title of the series was revealed as Kat & Alfie: Redwater, though it continued to be referred to as Redwater. Richie hoped that the show would continue beyond its first series, saying, "With the storylines we've heard, I'd be very surprised if it wasn't a long runner. That's the plan." On 20 April 2016, it was reported that BBC chiefs were "so impressed" with how filming for Redwater had gone that they had "given the green-light for it to return [for a second series] in extended form in a primetime 9pm slot" and that the "numerous characters [...] all have stories to tell." Treadwell-Collins said that he would not be working on a second series as he had left the BBC but had spoken to producer Vicky Wharton about it and had "[started] putting plans in place about what would happen next. Throughout the series, we have very carefully laid down secrets and hinted at other characters. The end of this series will feel like a midpoint—not an ending. We leave it on the mother of all cliffhangers at the end of episode six."

Wallace and Richie were to be given time off from EastEnders to film the series, with Treadwell-Collins saying they would be out of EastEnders "for a while". The characters departed from screens on 22 May 2015, following which Richie and Wallace had a number of meetings with Treadwell-Collins to discuss details of the new series. However, the series was delayed for unspecified reasons and on 17 October 2015, it was announced that the pair would return to EastEnders, appearing over the Christmas period to set up the storyline that sees Kat discover she has a son and Alfie reveal his tumour.

Writing
On 5 April 2016, Treadwell-Collins tweeted the front page of the script from the first episode, confirming that the first read-through was that day, and the episode was written by Matthew Graham. The other writers for the series are Lauren Klee, Matthew Barry (two episodes) and Julie Dixon (two episodes), though Graham oversaw the storylines for the other five episodes. Graham said he was attracted to the series because he used to be a writer for EastEnders and found Kat and Alfie to be "two of the most dynamic characters to write for", and wanted to "[create] the debris from [Kat's] explosive arrival [in Redwater]".

Casting
Richie and Wallace were confirmed as actors is in the series upon its announcement, playing their EastEnders characters, Kat and Alfie. though in the series, Wallace's character is credited as "Kathleen" and called as such by the majority of characters. Fionnula Flanagan was confirmed to be having a main role in the series on 11 April 2016, when she said her character, named Agnes Byrne, was "full of secrets, deceit and manipulation." The full cast was revealed on 12 April 2016, with their character names officially confirmed by 5 May 2017. The rest of the cast are Maria Doyle Kennedy as Roisín Kelly, Ian McElhinney as Lance Byrne, Angeline Ball as Eileen Harrington, Peter Campion as Andrew Kelly, Stanley Townsend as Peter Dolan, Ebony O'Toole-Acheampong as Adeen Kelly, Oisín Stack as Father Dermott Dolan, Stephen Hogan as Padraig Kelly, Susan Ateh as Bernie Kelly and Ian Toner as as Kieran Harrington. Kathleen is described as "a very colourful person" with "a lot of layers to her". Alfie is "a charmer" with "a big heart" who cares about his family. Roisín is described as "quite complicated", different on the outside to how she is inside, "very practical, very stoic" and "quite dutiful". Eileen, Roisín's sister, is described as having a "dual personality", "a fighter and a survivor", yet "quite fragile" with an "underlying sadness". Lance is a family patriarch, but described as "quite weak", while his wife, Agnes, "rules the roost". Additionally, Kat's son Tommy Moon appears in the series, played by Henry Proctor. Ryan Burke, Anton Giltrap and Eoin Daly appear in the series as young Andrew, Kieran and Dermott respectively, and Orla Hannon plays Iris Dolan. Ronan Connett plays Jonjo Kelly. Extras for the series were cast from open auditions held at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club in Dunmore East on 1 April 2016 and The Central Arts on The Quay in Waterford on 2 April 2016.

Principal photography
Filming was originally due to start in autumn 2015, with the series being broadcast in 2016.

Richie and Wallace first saw the scripts for Redwater on 13 January 2016, and it was confirmed that filming would start after they finished touring with the stage show The Perfect Murder, which was scheduled to run from 2 February until 2 April 2016.

Filming was scheduled to take place in Ireland over a period of three to four months.

Jesper W. Nielsen (four episodes) and Karl Neilson (two episodes) are the directors and Vicky Wharton is the producer.

Location shooting
Filming started near Dublin on 11 April 2016,  while the last two scripts were still being produced. Scenes in the setting of St Brendan's Catholic Church were filmed at St Matthias' Church, Killiney, on the first two days. On-location filming also took place in Dalkey's Coliemore Harbour between 5 and 11 May. Six weeks of on-location filming took place in the village of Dunmore East in County Waterford, starting on 25 May 2016. The scripts called for a seaside town or village and out of the options found by the location management team, Dunmore East was chosen. Dunmore East was essentially renamed to Redwater during filming, with the local council and businesses getting involved. Various locations in the village were used, including the beach, church, The Strand Inn and The Spinnaker Bar, with filming at The Strand Inn starting immediately, and interior filming at The Spinnaker Bar lasting three days from 31 May to 2 June 2016. The Strand Inn was used for five separate fictional locations in the series: a tourism office, restaurant, surf shop, sushi bar, and the exterior of the pub, called Peter Dolan's in the series, for which the facade of The Strand Inn was transformed. A country fair, called The Winking Fish, was set up outside The Strand Inn for the purpose of filming. The nearby village of Passage East was also used for filming. Filming ended on 26 July 2016. Wallace filmed some of her own stunts, including jumping from a boat into the sea and an underwater sequence, which were filmed in Dublin. Some filming was also done at Magheramore beach, County Wicklow, including a scene filmed at midnight where mist was created over the sea. The series was filmed with a single camera.

Music
The music for Redwater was scored by Natalie Holt for synthesizers, guitar and a 12-piece string section, and was performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra, led by Thomas Gould and conducted by Andy Brown. It was then engineered by Toby Hulbert at Air-Edel Studios in London. The theme tune was sung by Úna Palliser. Music from Irish bands, including Pursued by Dogs, Little Green Cars, Kíla and Ham Sandwich, also features in the series.