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 Kevin
Jackson, Assistant Head of Drama for
BBC Northern Ireland is
Production Executive for Ballykissangel. Davy Sims, from
The Ballykissangel Examiner caught up with
him to talk about Ballyk from it's earliest days.
What sort of memories do you have since you've been associated
with the series ?
 to
this question and answer in more detail
My first memory that has ingrained very heavily on my
mind is meeting with the first producer Joy Lale, after she
had a very enthusiastic visit to Ireland. We met in the Shelborne
hotel in Dublin where she was going to tell us how far she'd
progressed in finding the ideal location for Ballykissangel.
We knew we needed a small location and we hoped to find a
village near Dublin. Joy came up with a wonderful location
(Avoca) but it was the wrong side of the Wicklow mountains.
She started to bring out the photos and there were at least
fifty photos. It was Avoca and she said "that is Ballykissangel".
Once
Ballykissangel had its first airing, how did you know the
location was right?
to
this question and answer in more detail
Well,
I'm sometimes a bit of a cynic, but having watched the first
six episodes of Ballyk prior to transmission I found them
enchanting and funny, there was a truth about them and the
village itself felt right. When the first episode went out,
I rushed to have a look at the overnight figures to see exactly
how many people had watched it and was bowled over that we
had exceeded all of our expectations. There was also the enormous
success of the publicity campaign with Dervla and Stephen
at that stage. Their relationship had become news and everyone
else was getting the spin off. There, in one of the papers
was a competition to win a trip to Ballykissangel, not Avoca,
but Ballykissangel. Those are the things that you associate
with 'Coronation Street' and 'All Creations Great and Small'
so doesn't that now mean that we're in that league? I think
it does.
Ballykissangel is still being shown around the world all
the time and the e-mails that we receive suggest that people
still enjoy the first, second and third series.
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this question and answer in more detail
The American
audience is particularly vitriolic if they miss something.
If a whole series goes out within the space of two to three
weeks and they missed a couple of nights, they want to know
what has happened to a character. In Australia too there is
a huge fan base so we know we're doing something right which
Ballyk does time after time.
Has
Ballykissangel had an effect in the industry in the British
Isles? Is Ireland looked upon differently because of Ballyk?
to
this question and answer in more detail
Yes, I believe it is. In the United Kingdom, Ballykissangel
is seen to be a slightly quirky extension and somewhat foreign
extension to the United Kingdom. It's no longer "Oireland"
and these are not just "Oirish" people. These people
are welcomed around the hearth in the same way that Del Boy
and Rodney are. There isn't this strangeness about BallyK
that there can be with something which is perhaps more European
or American. There is a sense of comedy as well as a sense
of drama which has more emotion and has greater connection.
There is this sense that Ireland is sexy and the stories that
are being told within Ireland are going to be more interesting.
You're
involved in the production side of Ballykissangel. What is
it that you do?
to
this question and answer in more detail
Writers
are instructed and negotiated with to come up with ideas and
develop ideas further with a team who pass the information
on to people like myself. I can have a view on the script
but it doesn't mean that I will be part of the development
of those ideas. So my job is to examine the script as though
it were a cake ready for baking. I work with the independent
production companies to agree how much all the ingredients
will cost and how long it will take to complete the filming
and deliver the final transmission tapes. Ballyk, because
of the fantastic start it got, has always seemed to attract
people who want to work on it and want to stay on it. They
all seem to have pleasant demeanours and professional skills
but they just enjoy their job as much as I do. I'm proud of
those people I've worked with because it's a family atmosphere
as it should be, I know that's a hackneyed expression but
it is true.
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