UK online comedy drama web series?

Got a message from Jon, asking...

> Hi Neil,
> ...And do you know how many online comedy dramas there are in the UK?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jon

Well... good question.

The only ones I've found are

Chelsea OMG
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2008/10/new-series-chelsey-omg.html

Toyboize
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2008/12/online-comedy-toyboize.html

Peneolope Princess of Pets was made here, or will be made for here,
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/01/online-comedy-c4s-pet-project-penelope.html

Tempting fates
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/11/uk-online-drama-tempting-fates.html


and just to open it up a little more... from Ireland there's,

Hardy Bucks
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-hardy-bucks.html

and FRAN the series
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/05/online-comedy-fran-series.html


Have I missed any?

Do you know any better?


Leave a COMMENT - by clicking on COMMENTS below!

The Three Faces of You, Online - HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW #6

Still trying to reconcile what I do online with the different things I do in work.

And I don't think I am alone in this.

(Alone as you can be with 3 personae).

There's the public you.
The corporate site.
The online CV.
The good photo, the good 'sell'.
This is you if you were PR'd by the Soviet news agency TASS in the good old days. Bold images, positive messages.
The best foot forward, but the dullest stream.

There's the friendly you.
Stuff that's only relevant to mates you know, or material you'd want to share with "those who've been there" with you.

Then there's the controversial you.
The dislikes, the tensions, the struggles.
The stuff that's REALLY interesting.
The stuff that really makes you an individual,
but which you're not sure should be for broadcast.




Those who've really been successful online have managed to find a line between all three. Or, even, managed to avoid falling into any one of these three.
All of their work is directed into one 'place' on the web, and has a sense of honesty which does not work against them.
Hats off to them, it's a real achievement.


So here's a question,
- can you, or should you, combine all three faces in your online work?

Will 'Online Celebrity' from now on reward those brave enough to present all three faces in their electronic footprint?


I'm wrestling with this because I'm thinking that properly rounded online characters benefit from a combination of the three in what's presented of them to the audience.

Whether it's Bree's youtube posts in lonelygirl15, KateModern's bebo profiles, or Hardy Bucks tweets.
All this material helps the character become more three dimensional.
And the 'voyeurism' is what brings us back for more.


It's more work to upload this extra material, but it's the kind of development work you do as a writer anyway - might mean it doesn't go to waste, and even helps the audience to directly challenge the character when a web show is 'live'...


CLICK HERE for all posts labelled HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW

http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/HOW%20TO%20MAKE%20A%20HIT%20INTERNET%20SHOW

RTE STORYLAND - HARDY BUCKS for the win

From rte.ie/storyland:-

2009 WINNERS: HARDY BUCKS

RTE Entertainment story here:
http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/0908/storyland.html
(thanks lg15today.blogspot.com)

Final episode Tuesday 29th September.

From Rental Boys twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/rentalboys

A big congratulations to the Hardy Bucks for winning the Storyland competition from all the Rental Boys - Well done lads!

Thanks for all the comments & support. We really appreciate it! We worked with a great cast & crew who'll no doubt go on to great things!

Show them some love over at
http://www.rental-boys.com/
- maybe they can find a way to keep it running?


PS - If you want to see the HARDY BUCKS LIVE...?

From Bulmerscomedy.ie:

Youtube phenomenon's The Hardy Bucks have just been announced as special guests to The Rubber Bandits Academy show 19th September.
Tickets for the show 15 euro including booking fee on sale now.

Hardy Bucks follows the escapades of four lazy, but likable lads from Castletown, Co. Mayo, as they struggle with the vicissitudes of life in small town, recessionary Ireland.

Followed by a documentary crew, they set about attempting to make money, and attract some ‘gamey women,’ all the while trying to avoid a confrontation with their 10-spot dealing nemesis, the Viper, in the local ball alley.

The live show combines the authenticity of the lads’ existences with the surrealistic aspects of some of the goings on and characters around the town.

CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTE STORYLAND
http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

RTE STORYLAND - THE FINAL - (FEW HOURS... TO VOTE).

So... been following the RTE STORYLAND project all year, and it's down to the final day of voting... The final two shows...



HARDY BUCKS
and
RENTAL BOYS

Click on the titles above for all the posts on them...

HARDY BUCKS HERE
http://www.rte.ie/storyland/finalists/hardybucks.html








RENTAL BOYS HERE
http://www.rte.ie/storyland/finalists/rentalboys.html




Can it be so?
VOTING CLOSES TODAY (MONDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER) at 5pm.

(Irish Summer Time... think that's 1600 GMT/UTC)


Click on this Link to the voting here....


CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTE STORYLAND
http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

RTE STORYLAND - Episodes 4 - Last day of voting...

It's the last day of voting for RTE's Online Drama competition STORYLAND - deadline is tomorrow, (Friday 31st July) 5pm...

All the episodes and voting here:

http://www.rte.ie/storyland

Or official RTE shows pages and voting here:

HARDY BUCKS

PSYCH WARD

RENTAL BOYS


Here are the episodes 4 I've found on the net...

HARDY BUCKS
(STORYGAS HARDYBUCKS POSTS HERE)

Hardy Bucks Ep7: The Drink is a Curse 1/3
A fine spell of weather sees the lads trying to set aside binge drinking for more wholesome activities.




Hardy Bucks Ep7: The Drink is a Curse 2/3




Hardy Bucks Ep7: The Drink is a Curse 3/3




PSYCH WARD
(ALL STORYGAS PSYCHWARD POSTS HERE)
Psych Ward Episode 4 (HD Version)

The fourth episode of the online web drama Psych Ward. In this episode Dr Danny O'Hagan (Hugh O'Conor) finds himself suspended from duty pending an enquiry into the incidents surrounding the death of Christine Meaney.




RENTAL BOYS
(ALL STORYGAS RENTAL BOYS POSTS HERE)

Episode 4 bits: Brian from Rental Boys on Vimeo.

CLICK HERE for all storygas posts labelled RTE STORYLAND

http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

RTE STORYLAND RESULTS

Spare a thought for the 4 RTE Storyland finalists tonight...




The voting on round 3 ended at 5pm today (5 hours ago), and now's the time of the nail-biting wait for who goes through.

HappySlapper
Hardy Bucks
Psych Ward
Rental Boys


*** UPDATE from www.rte.ie/storyland ***

Episode 3: Results

1st Hardy Bucks
2nd Rental Boys
3rd Psych Ward
4th HappySlapper


If you voted on the poll here, here were our unofficial poll results(!)
Hardy Bucks 19 (48%)
Rental Boys 13 (33%)
Happy Slapper 4 (10%)
Psych Ward 3 (7%)
***


Show some love to HappySlapper -- anyone know if the show will go on independently?

The makers' bebo profile, Screenworks, is here:
www.bebo.com/ScreenworksF

Leave COMMENTS below with any news!


CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTE STORYLAND

http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Hardy Bucks - Round 3 RTE STORYLAND

Four days left on the third round of voting in RTÉ STORYLAND.


Had hoped to link to third round of happyslapper, but can't find episode three on the net (outside of the unembeddable RTÉ Storyland episode).


So second on the list is HARDY BUCKS, - episode 3.

PART 1

Having tried and failed to attract women using their wit alone, the lads go along to a Speed Dating night in the hope of meeting some gamey, slightly desperate girls.

Despite having studied ‘The Game’ – a how-to guide about picking up women – both Eddie and Boo struggle, while French Toast manages to turn on the charm.

Buzz comes face to face with his ex Ladybird, who has been spotted around the town ‘prising herself’ on the Viper.

Things take a turn for the worse when the snaky miscreant shows up with his henchman ‘The Dragon.’

PART 2




PART 3





HARDY BUCKS RTÉ STORYLAND PAGE is here
http://www.rte.ie/storyland/finalists/hardybucks.html

HARDY BUCKS LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-hardy-bucks.html

Voting on all shows is at the RTÉ STORYLAND site here:-
http://www.rte.ie/storyland

CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTÉ STORYLAND
http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Rental Boys - RTÉ STORYLAND

Fourth and final of the 4 shows through to the next round of RTÉ STORYLAND...

HappySlapper
Hardy Bucks
Psych Ward
Rental Boys


CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS ON RTÉ STORYLAND.





Today it's the second ep from RENTAL BOYS.

Couldn't find Episode 2 on the net other than on the RTE Storyland site itself.

Here's the Promo for Episode 2 of Rental Boys



And... a promo for the next episode -- Episode 3





CLICK HERE for more details on RENTAL BOYS.


CLICK HERE FOR THE RTÉ STORYLAND WEBSITE AND VOTING

There's a poll on the sidebar on the top right hand side of this site for an idea of who everyone here thinks should win.


CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTÉ STORYLAND

.

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - PsychWard - RTE STORYLAND

Third of the 4 shows through to the next round of RTÉ STORYLAND...

HappySlapper
Hardy Bucks
Psych Ward
Rental Boys


CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS ON RTÉ STORYLAND.





Today it's the second ep from PSYCH WARD.


Psych Ward Episode 2

The second episode of Psych Ward, an online drama series commissioned as part of RTE's Storyland project. Psych Ward is the story of a young psychiatrist who works in a hospital in Dublin.

Psych Ward - Episode 2 Promo




CLICK HERE for more details on PSYCH WARD.


CLICK HERE FOR THE RTÉ STORYLAND WEBSITE AND VOTING

There's a poll on the sidebar on the top right hand side of this site for an idea of who everyone here thinks should win.


CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTÉ STORYLAND

.

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Hardy Bucks - RTE STORYLAND

Second of 4 shows through to the next round of RTÉ STORYLAND...
HappySlapper
Hardy Bucks
Psych Ward
Rental Boys


CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS ON RTÉ STORYLAND.





Today it's the second ep from HARDY BUCKS.

(In two vids -- longer version than the RTE release? -- and the Hardy Bucks saga began with 3 eps before Storyland, so it's now up to Episode 5.)

Hardy Bucks Ep5: Foamy Nites: Part1




Hardy Bucks Ep 5: Foamy Nites: Part2




Gym'n it up for votes




CLICK HERE for more details on HARDY BUCKS.


CLICK HERE FOR THE RTÉ STORYLAND WEBSITE AND VOTING

There's a poll on the sidebar on the top right hand side of this site for an idea of who everyone here thinks should win.


CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTÉ STORYLAND

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - HappySlapper - RTE STORYLAND

Okay, it's been so long since I've posted any RTÉ STORYLAND updates.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS ON RTÉ STORYLAND.

Four shows are in the running for the Fourth Round of the Irish online drama series,
HappySlapper
Hardy Bucks
Psych Ward
Rental Boys

Sadly, it means that...

Pub World
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
Running Low

...won't be going through to the next round.

Show some love by visiting their sites (linked above), and let me know in COMMENTS BELOW if more episodes of these emerge after Storyland.


So this week I'll be catching up with the finalist episodes from the second round.

Today, HAPPYSLAPPER.





CLICK HERE for more details on HAPPYSLAPPER.


CLICK HERE FOR THE RTÉ STORYLAND WEBSITE AND VOTING

and vote on the sidebar on the top right hand side of this site for an idea of who everyone here thinks should win.


CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RTÉ STORYLAND

RTE STORYLAND Round One Results

From rte.ie/storyland:-

Voting for episode one has now closed. We are pleased to announce the top seven dramas will be commissioned to make episode two.

Voting reopens Thursday 5pm 30th April 5pm until 5pm Monday 4th May where you decide who goes on to make a third episode.

Good luck to everyone and don’t forget you can only vote once so make it count!

MORE HERE:-
http://www.rte.ie/storyland/

Spookily close to the results of the home made poll amongst us...
(link here) - final line up is...

1st Hardy Bucks
2nd Rental Boys
3rd Psych Ward
4th Happy Slapper
5th Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
6th Pub World
7th Running Low

8th Chez Spuds
9th This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory

Hope the Shay and the TINACT keep going -- send us links
or show some web love here...

http://chezspuds.com/

and here

http://tinact.com/


So seven go through this time...

Anyone any idea how many shows will go through to Round 3?

RTE STORYLAND POLL and results?

Okay... here are the results of the completely unscientific and multiple vote poll on this site, with the huge sample of 42 votes

1 Hardy Bucks 17 (40%)
2 Rental Boys 14 (33%)
3 Running Low 13 (30%)
3 Psych Ward 12 (28%)
4 Happy Slapper 12 (28%)
6 Pubworld 12 (28%)
7 Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine 8 (19%)
8 Chez Spuds 7 (16%)
9 This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory 6 (14%)


Seems the REAL results are out -- shared with the world in COMMENTS below??!?!
(And hearing rumours of twists we weren't expecting??? - tell us more in COMMENTS below!)

RTE STORYLAND - last 3 hours of voting... or 2, or 4...

It's the final countdown for RTE STORYLAND first episode voting.

Just under 3 hours to go. Just realised the home page doesn't state which time zone.
Which is probably as it should be.

My poll on the other hand is way off thanks to blogger assuming we're all in the US on Pacific Time.
Which is probably as it should be.

So, that's an extra 8 hours to vote on the poll in the sidebar (and I didn't take European Summer Time into account, so there's an extra hour there, and even then I was out by an hour).

Man, this democracy thing is... like... hard.

The real voting place is here:
http://www.rte.ie/storyland


My links to the shows are here:
Chez Spuds
Happy Slapper
Hardy Bucks
Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
Psych Ward
Pubworld
Rental Boys
Running Low
This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Hardy Bucks (RTE Storyland)

Another lunchtime watchalong RTE STORYLAND show.



HARDY BUCKS

Hardy Bucks follows the lives of four lazy but likable lads from Castletown, Co Mayo as they try and make enough money to make a fresh start in the 'big shmoke'- Galway. The bucks try their luck at the Mitzi Turbo Cup - an underground boy-racer event - which has come to Castletown. With the chance of netting €250 "in the claw", the boys may finally have the means of moving to Galway.

HARDY BUCKS EPISODE 1: The Mitzi Turbo Cup




"HARDY BUCKS" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


FULL LIST OF "HARDY BUCKS" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-hardy-bucks.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

RTE STORYLAND - The Online Drama competition is launched

Voting opens today on RTÉ's STORYLAND competition.

Television is changing and you’re calling the shots ....
Five months ago the call went out for new and established programme makers with exciting ideas to take part in a unique web drama competition.

The talented finalists have produced some brilliant content with buckets of tension, comedy and thrills. However it’s up to you to decide who goes through to the next round.

Watch episode one and vote for the drama you’d most like to see make a second episode. Voting opens 5pm Monday 16th March and closes 5pm Monday 30th March.

MORE HERE:-
www.rte.ie/storyland

Here are the shows alphabetically... Click on them for more details.

CHEZ SPUDS
A surreal comedy set around an Irish kitchen inhabited by Mrs Spuds and her son Shay. In each episode a well known figure will turn up through a strange portal into which step the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Gengis Khan and the 1966 English world cup squad!


HAPPY SLAPPER
‘’Your school years are the best years of your life.’’
Whoever said that must have been hit a few too many times on the head. With a hammer…
Set in a North Dublin secondary school, during a final year that is filled with betrayal, manipulation, desperation & violence, HAPPYSLAPPER is a mystery thriller that centres on the disappearance of popular girl MADDY, and the dark secrets that are revealed when two of her friends start investigating what has happened to her and why... In episode 1 shy outsider Emily has no idea what she's getting herself involved in when she's invited to a 'secret party' held by tough girl Rachel in the school, after dark...


HARDY BUCKS
Hardy Bucks follows the lives of four lazy but likable lads from Castletown, Co Mayo as they try and make enough money to make a fresh start in the 'big shmoke' - Galway.
The bucks try their luck at the Mitzi Turbo Cup - an underground boy-racer event - which has come to Castletown. With the chance of netting €250 "in the claw", the boys may finally have the means of moving to Galway.


JENNY WAS A FRIEND OF MINE
From the moment you go online, they're watching you. Recording your every move, collecting data, building your profile. They know your secrets. They've mapped your very soul. Now, they mean to do you harm. But who are they?
Surely all you have to do to be safe is turn the computer off... right? If you’re no longer online then the danger is no longer real... right? But what is reality, your life online, or your so called life in the physical world? Are you alone?


PSYCH WARD
Danny O'Hagan works as an emergency Psychiatrist on the night shift in a busy city centre hospital. One night Danny is forced to make an impossible decision. The consequences prove worse than he could have imagined. Pressure is building, and Danny soon finds himself in the biggest battle of his life.


PUBWORLD
What is reality? What are its limits, its possibilities, its meaning?
A young man called Darryl has been wrenched, against his will, from our reality and deposited in some other existence – an existence that on the surface appears similar – yet which openly defies the long established norms of physics and logic. He has been deposited in a place called Pub World, and closing time is near…


RENTAL BOYS
‘Rental Boys follows the lives of the staff of two competing DVD rental chain stores in the Dublin suburb of Finglas. Main character Brian, a DIT drop out, is an aspiring sci-fi scriptwriter and the lethargic assistant manager of “Movie-visions”, the rental store that also specialises in most electronics.
His average working days generally include run-ins with; his long-suffering manager Pawel, an array of crazy customers and his arch nemesis, Darren, a struggling actor with a great tan who’s the senior staff member at “Filmbusters” - the store where you can avail of sunbeds and diet pills with every new movie release.


RUNNING LOW
Of course the oil ran out in the end, and civilisation duly crumbled in its absence. But Tom and Bala Weldon, two Tipperary slackers manning the last petrol station in Ireland, have no intention of going anywhere. Their plan, to lay low and sit out mankind’s return to the Dark Ages, is utterly foiled by the very last thing they ever expected to see... a motorist.


THIS IS NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY
[[that's all there's ever been of the listing for this show, Ed]]

Vote for them on the RTÉ STORYLAND home site
www.rte.ie/storyland

RTE press release on the shortlist
http://www.rte.ie/about/pressreleases/2009/0123/storylandwinners23012009.html



CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR ALL POSTS LABELLED RTÉ STORYLAND

http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

So.. go on... Who you tipping for the win?
See COMMENTS below

.

RTE STORYLAND CONTENDER - Hardy Bucks

From HardyBucks bebo profile:-

Welcome to Castletown, Co. Mayo. Home of Eddie Durkin and Buzz McDonnell. Eddie's thinking about a new start in Galway but will Buzz follow?

HOME SITE HERE:
http://www.bebo.com/hardybucks







"HARDY BUCKS" YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE:-
http://www.youtube.com/user/hardybucks



"HARDY BUCKS" EPISODE 1 HERE:-




Eddie 'n Buzz need you!




RTE STORYLAND Hardy Bucks site here:-
http://www.rte.ie/storyland/finalists/hardybucks.html


CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR ALL POSTS LABELLED RTÉ STORYLAND
http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Hardy Bucks Ep6

Catching up on some web series at lunchtime (GMT) - watch along with me too.

This week, Hardy Bucks, an RTÉ Storyland contender..

Episode 6 (or Ep3 Part2) - who knows.

The Party: The lads manage to escape the disturbing Aloisius Lavin but how will they throw a party if the Viper has their mushrooms?

HOME SITE HERE:-http://www.bebo.com/hardybucks

That's the final ep. So far.
Any other Storyland videos out there?
Let me know!

Tomorrow, might start catching up on Season 1 of THE GUILD.

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Hardy Bucks Ep5

Catching up on some web series at lunchtime (GMT) - watch along with me too.

This week, Hardy Bucks, an RTÉ Storyland contender..

Episode 5 (or Ep3 Part1) - who knows.

It's time for a plan. Galway beckons but the lads have no money. With a bit of help from an unwitting buddy, they hatch a scheme that's guaranteed to at least cover the petrol money.

HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.bebo.com/hardybucks

Next ep same time tomorrow.

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Hardy Bucks Ep4

Catching up on some web series at lunchtime (GMT) - watch along with me too.

This week, Hardy Bucks, an RTÉ Storyland contender..

Episode 4 (or Ep2 Part2) - who knows.

Eddie sits the Safe Pass Course which he needs to get on the sites in Galway. Buzz has other ideas and runs away to meet new friends at Ladybirds workshop.

HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.bebo.com/hardybucks

Next ep same time tomorrow.