Little White Lie (TV drama)
Encyclopedia
Little White Lie is a feature length IFTA
-nominated Irish
television romantic comedy drama broadcast on RTÉ One
on 4 August 2008 at 21:30. It stars Andrew Scott
and Elaine Cassidy
. The drama follows the journey of a dejected actor (Scott) as he searches for love after being discarded by his highflying girlfriend. The title comes from the fact that the main character tells one to his new girlfriend (Cassidy) - that he is a psychiatrist
instead of an actor. Little White Lie is written by Stuart Carolan
and Barry Murphy and directed by Nick Renton. It is produced by Element Pictures, which previously produced Bitter Sweet
and Prosperity
for RTÉ. The drama featured music from the artist Julie Feeney
. The song "You Broke the Magic" was taken from the Choice Music Prize
-winning 13 songs
.
.
weekend. The average audience share was 336,000 or 26.5% of available viewers, labelled as a "disappointing turn-off" by the tabloid Evening Herald
which pinpointed the "considerable hype" and advertising efforts which had taken place in the preceding weeks. However, a spokeswoman for RTÉ said that the show "seemed to go down well with viewers" and pointed out that it had hit a peak of 450,000. Another RTÉ spokesperson defended the ratings, saying that "this was a drama and would not be comparable to other programmes on this usual slot on a Monday night". The drama seemed to disappoint viewers and critics alike, as visible in newspaper reports and on online discussion boards shortly after the broadcast. However the programme went on to be nominated for an IFTA
against Whistleblower
in the Single Drama/Drama Serial category in January 2009.
Irish Film and Television Awards
The Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 2003. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's notably talented film and television community...
-nominated Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
television romantic comedy drama broadcast on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
on 4 August 2008 at 21:30. It stars Andrew Scott
Andrew Scott (actor)
Andrew Scott is an Irish film, television, and stage actor. He received the 2005 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs production of A Girl in a Car with a Man and an IFTA award for the film Dead Bodies...
and Elaine Cassidy
Elaine Cassidy
Elaine Cassidy is an award-winning Irish actress and is best known for playing the lead character Abby Mills in the American CBS TV series Harper's Island, Felicia in Felicia's Journey opposite Bob Hoskins, Runt in Disco Pigs opposite Cillian Murphy, and Lydia in The Others.-Early life:Elaine...
. The drama follows the journey of a dejected actor (Scott) as he searches for love after being discarded by his highflying girlfriend. The title comes from the fact that the main character tells one to his new girlfriend (Cassidy) - that he is a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
instead of an actor. Little White Lie is written by Stuart Carolan
Stuart Carolan
Stuart Carolan is an Irish playwright.He wrote for "Raw", and "Little White Lie", in 2008.He was 2007 Abbey Theatre's Writer-in-Association.In 2007, Defender of the Faith played Off Broadway, at the Irish Repertory Theatre, and in 2009 in Glasgow, Scotland.He works in Dublin.-Works:*, Abbey...
and Barry Murphy and directed by Nick Renton. It is produced by Element Pictures, which previously produced Bitter Sweet
Bitter Sweet (TV drama)
Bitter Sweet is an Irish television drama produced by Element Pictures for RTÉ. It follows the difficulties encountered by three female friends who undergo difficult changes to their respective lives. The drama was broadcast on RTÉ One on 23 March 2008, an Easter Sunday, at 21:30. It is written and...
and Prosperity
Prosperity (TV series)
Prosperity is a series of four one-hour dramas for television from director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Mark O'Halloran. Prosperity features "four powerful, moving and funny stories set on the same day, with each episode examining the life of a single character." The series first aired on 3...
for RTÉ. The drama featured music from the artist Julie Feeney
Julie Feeney
Julie Feeney, award-winning Irish composer, song-writer, singer and music producer.-Overview:Feeney is an award-winning and critically acclaimed Irish composer, singer, record producer, musician, songwriter, theatre artist and educator. She composes both instrumental and electronic music, and...
. The song "You Broke the Magic" was taken from the Choice Music Prize
Choice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
-winning 13 songs
13 Songs
13 Songs is a compilation of all the songs from the American post-hardcore band Fugazi's first two EPs. It was released in September 1989.-Background:...
.
Synopsis
Little White Lie follows the story of a luckless actor named Barry who has recently split from his girlfriend. He is seen wallowing at home in his pyjamas, where he becomes fixated on a children's television presenter who he sees on daytime television. The two accidentally collide at an awards ceremony and Barry sets out to impress the presenter. However, he inadvertently lies about his profession, ignoring his actorial status for a career in psychiatryPsychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
.
Reaction
One-in-four of the Irish population watched Little White Lie which was aired over a bank holidayBank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
weekend. The average audience share was 336,000 or 26.5% of available viewers, labelled as a "disappointing turn-off" by the tabloid Evening Herald
Evening Herald
The Evening Herald is a mid-market tabloid evening newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland by Independent News & Media. It is published Monday-Saturday, and has three editions — City Edition, City Final Edition and National Edition...
which pinpointed the "considerable hype" and advertising efforts which had taken place in the preceding weeks. However, a spokeswoman for RTÉ said that the show "seemed to go down well with viewers" and pointed out that it had hit a peak of 450,000. Another RTÉ spokesperson defended the ratings, saying that "this was a drama and would not be comparable to other programmes on this usual slot on a Monday night". The drama seemed to disappoint viewers and critics alike, as visible in newspaper reports and on online discussion boards shortly after the broadcast. However the programme went on to be nominated for an IFTA
Irish Film and Television Awards
The Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 2003. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's notably talented film and television community...
against Whistleblower
Whistleblower (TV series)
Whistleblower is a two-part IFTA-winning fact-based RTÉ drama which focuses on the Michael Neary scandal that erupted in the 1990s. Neary is a retired Irish consultant obstetrician/gynecologist who gained notoriety when it was discovered that he had performed what was considered an inordinate...
in the Single Drama/Drama Serial category in January 2009.