The six-part series will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW on 27 February
Irish actor and writer Chris O’Dowd has revealed that the filming locations for his upcoming Sky Atlantic series, Small Town, Big Story, received a much-needed “emotional boost” from the production.
The six-part comedy drama, which premieres on 27 February, is set in the fictional Irish town of Drumban, where the arrival of a Hollywood film crew brings unexpected chaos and threatens to expose a long-hidden secret dating back to the turn of the millennium.
O’Dowd, 45, who both created and executive-produced the show, spoke about how shooting in real Irish towns affected the local communities.
“Obviously, (it can) be beneficial to them in a financial way, and also just giving the place a bit of an emotional boost,” he told the PA news agency.
He added that filming on location helped bring a sense of authenticity to the series.
**“If you want any kind of authenticity, it’s great to be able to film on location.
So it’s more the chemistry that can go on. I know from experience, people love when you arrive, (but a) couple of years in, they’re like, ‘that’s another f***** truck in my drive.’”**
Christina Hendricks on the challenges of filming
American actress Christina Hendricks, best known for her role as Joan Holloway in Mad Men, stars in the series as Wendy Patterson, a Hollywood executive who returns to her Irish hometown with a US production crew in tow.
Hendricks, 49, admitted that despite the excitement surrounding the show’s arrival, not all the locals were pleased with the disruption.
“When they want to get home at the end of the day, and we’re making them stop the traffic, they’re not happy,” she said.
Hendricks described her character as someone who initially arrives full of confidence, only for reality to slowly chip away at her self-assurance.
**“I think she goes back thinking she’s coming in big.
I mean, she comes in with an entourage and a caravan of trucks and equipment, and material, and then it’s pissing down rain on her first day, and a bird falls on her windshield.
And it’s just chipping away right from the beginning, chip by chip by chip.
This confidence of coming in with my big Hollywood production is like, ‘Well, that was embarrassing, and that didn’t go well, that speech wasn’t good, and that was humiliating.’”**
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A personal connection to the story
O’Dowd, who rose to fame in Channel 4’s The IT Crowd, revealed that the fictional town of Drumban was inspired by his mother’s hometown, located 10 miles outside Boyle in County Roscommon.
“It’s essentially the same size, same feel, same number of people, I would have thought,” he explained.
However, he made some geographical changes to better suit the story’s premise.
**“I just moved it around an hour north because I wanted it to be on the border.
So it’s between the towns beside Lough MacNean, which is a real place and a real lake.”**
What to expect from small town, big story
The series combines humour, mystery, and small-town charm, as the unexpected arrival of a film crew turns Drumban upside down. While Hollywood lights shine on the community, old secrets threaten to resurface, forcing the locals to confront their past.
The show promises a witty, heartfelt take on small-town life, Hollywood egos, and the universal theme of going back to one’s roots.
Small Town, Big Story will be available on Sky Atlantic and NOW from 27 February.
