"Fair City" (1988) TV series 1988-????

User Rating:

2.5/10   

Directors:

Vivienne Cozens
Deirdre Friel

Writers:

Colette Cullen (scene breakdown writer)
Jayne Daniel (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | unknown

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Soap

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Mick Nolan	...	Ray O'Connell (94 episodes, 2000-2009)
Orlaith Rafter	...	Robin McKenna Doyle / ... (93 episodes, 2001-2009)
Tony Tormey	...	Paul Brennan (78 episodes, 1988-2009)
David Mitchell	...	Jimmy Doyle / ... (71 episodes, 2003-2008)
Anne Kent	...	Angela O'Connell (68 episodes, 2005-2009)
Alan O'Neill	...	Keith McGrath (67 episodes, 2006-2009)
Jim Bartley	...	Bela Doyle (66 episodes, 1988-2009)
Hilda Fay	...	Tracey McGuigan / ... (66 episodes, 2001-2008)
Sarah MacDowall	...	Suzanne Doyle / ... (64 episodes, 1988-2008)
Doireann Ní Chorragáin	...	Ali O'Shea Foley / ... (62 episodes, 2005-2009)
Tom O'Leary	...	Brendan Daly (59 episodes, 2005-2009)
Kiva Murphy	...	Waitress (58 episodes, 2005-2007)
Maclean Burke	...	Damien Halpin (57 episodes, 1998-2008)
Clelia Murphy	...	Niamh Cassidy (57 episodes, 2003-2009)
Dave Duffy	...	Leo Dowling (55 episodes, 1996-2008)
Tom Hopkins	...	Christy Phelan (55 episodes, 1998-2009)
Una Kavanagh	...	Heather Lyons Daly / ... (55 episodes, 2003-2009)
David Johnston	...	Ken Fahey (53 episodes, 2002-2008)
Una Crawford O'Brien	...	Renee Phelan (51 episodes, 1998-2009)
Gerard Byrne	...	Malachy Costello (50 episodes, 1996-2009)
Rachel Sarah Murphy	...	Jo Coughlan Fahy / ... (50 episodes, 2000-2009)
Seamus Power	...	Dermot Fahy / ... (48 episodes, 1997-2009)
Ryan O'Shaughnessy	...	Mark Halpin (47 episodes, 2001-2008)
Tom Jordan	...	Charlie Kelly (46 episodes, 1988-2007)
Bairbre Scully	...	Deirdre Burke (46 episodes, 2005-2008)
Jenny Kavanagh	...	Cleo Cullen / ... (46 episodes, 2006-2009)
Aisling O'Neill	...	Carol Foley Meehan (45 episodes, 1999-2009)
Patrick David Nolan	...	Barry O'Hanlon (41 episodes, 1998-2009)
Gareth O'Connor	...	Pierce Stanley (41 episodes, 2006-2007)
Joe Gallagher	...	Dominic Kavanagh (40 episodes, 2005-2008)

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Once (2006)

Not even a one...a pure disgrace!

Recently a friend of mine who was visiting Ireland from Italy asked me to explain why so many Irish people laughed when they talked about the TV show Fair City. Judging by people's reaction to it he thought it must be brilliant new sitcom. I thought it would be best to show him an episode so he could see for himself why it had people doubling over laughing. Surprisingly the unbelievably poor quality of the show was not lost in translation. The story line, acting, and sets are universally recognised as pure unadulterated sewage.

The majority of people that commented on this already are completely within their right to express their disgust at the fact that this is shown on Irish TV and paid for by the Irish Tax payer! The one person standing up for the show so ardently obviously has some connection with it because nobody could be so naïve to think that the complaints are unwarranted.

If Edward D Wood Junior had ever had the opportunity to make a soap opera, he would have made Fair City. That is perhaps the best way to describe it to people outside Ireland. The sets are like something off a children's TV with the walls of every house or apartment painted blue, red, orange or green. Wallpaper does not exist in Fair City. The walls even shake when a door opens or closes… it's a shambles. There are only 5 places a character can be in the show, the Shop, a House, an office, the bistro, or the pub. There is no room for manoeuvre, every episode; these are the places the characters will be.

The "actors" are unique in the world of TV as they are perhaps the only actors to regularly be overshadowed by the performance of the set. The walls actually move more than some of their faces. The Irish state television RTE, regularly use these same actors as "celebrity" guests on their second rate talk shows. Its an absolute disgrace that people in Ireland can be on up to 40% rate of tax and be expected to enjoy listening to "Bella" from Fair City ( perhaps the most well known character and even then nobody knows his real name), talking about himself to another substandard product of RTE Ryan Tubridy! Everybody knows Irish TV is a closed shop ripe with nepotism and scarce on talent. Fair City is the perfect example of this. Friends and family getting jobs they clearly don't have the talent or intelligence to do. So don't listen to Miss (touched a nerve) eventsbydonna, you have a right to express your anger at this TV crime. Fair City and all the people responsible for it should be brought to justice! We deserve and demand a better return from our taxes!