The cast is a mix of TV veterans, rising stars and totally fresh faces. It\u2019s a genre-bending script, mixing gangland crime with magical realism.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just said, fuck it, what could we do that would be fun?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were bits along the way that I kind of half expected RT\u00c9 or BBC to come back and go, \u2018no\u2019. And they didn\u2019t. Not once,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
\u2018Dangerous\u2019 stories<\/p>\n
Jim Sheridan recently remarked that the national broadcaster needs to \u201cget a bit dangerous\u201d when it comes to the subject of its shows, harkening back to Carolan\u2019s gritty smash hit Love\/Hate, which ended in 2014.<\/p>\n
The Oscar-nominated veteran filmmaker also said that partnering with the likes of the BBC dilutes Irish programming.<\/p>\n
Asked to respond, Carolan said risk aversion is not a problem with RT\u00c9 specifically, but with the industry as a whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re looking for somebody to put in money. They want to get ratings. They want to connect.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlong the way, sometimes you can use a vehicle as a Trojan horse to do things.\u201d<\/p>\n
He feels Tall Tales and Murder shows very real parts of modern Ireland through a comedic lens.<\/p>\n
![\"Tall](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790418130_729_.jpeg\")
\n Bridget (Ella Lily Hyland), \u2018Anonymous\u2019 (Aidan Gillen). and Paul (Casey Walsh) RT\u00c9<\/p>\n
RT\u00c9\n<\/p>\n
The show tells the story of Paul (Casey Walsh), who has been released from prison and has decided he\u2019s not going back. He ends up working in a nursing home with Bridget (Ella Lily Hyland). They\u2019re both struggling with addiction and are trying to keep their heads above water when they see an opportunity to escape their circumstances.<\/p>\n
On the journey with them is Aidan Gillen\u2019s character, \u2018Anonymous\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do those types of shows without it being worthy or heavy,\u201d Carolan explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re outsiders. It\u2019s a Bonnie and Clyde reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting things made<\/p>\n
The idea for Tall Tales and Murder came from a book series by Caimh McDonnell. Chris Addison, who starred in the hugely acclaimed UK comedy-drama The Thick of It, bought the rights, but needed someone based in Dublin to bring the story to life authentically.<\/p>\n
He said he was set up on a \u201cblind date\u201d with Carolan about three years ago, where the pair discussed the idea and then developed the script with Toby Welch (Skins) over several months. They believed in the idea, but there were no guarantees of it coming to fruition.<\/p>\n
![\"SON-7417-004\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790418131_374_.jpeg\")
\n Stuart Coralan (left) and Chris Addison (right) at the Tall Tales and Murder premiere at the IFI last week Peter Houlihan \/ Coalesce<\/p>\n
Peter Houlihan \/ Coalesce \/ Coalesce\n<\/p>\n
\u201cEach project you\u2019re involved in, you think you\u2019re almost through the gate, and then it comes crashing down,\u201d Carolan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s quite normal. It\u2019s very, very intense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addison says 2019 was like a gold rush for TV, as streaming services competed for the next breakthrough show.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was buying everything and making everything in an attempt to become \u2018the streamer\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But the pandemic, coupled with writers\u2019 and actors\u2019 strikes, slowed the industry down in more recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat race is done, and so there\u2019s less being made now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, he said working on Tall Tales and Murder with RT\u00c9 and BBC NI has been \u201cone of the most positive experiences\u201d he\u2019s had with broadcasters.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod bless RT\u00c9 and BBC Northern Ireland. They trusted us and they let us get on with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Love\/Hate return?<\/p>\n
While Carolan has been involved with many big budget projects such as The Alienist and, most recently, as a writer on Guy Ritchie\u2019s The Gentlemen, at home he is invariably known for Love\/Hate.<\/p>\n
He said he doesn\u2019t mind the association, but he hasn\u2019t let the praise go to his head.<\/p>\n