Bill and Monty

abouttobebanned

For many, many years, I've wanted these characters to be synonymous with waterford. It's been a painful process along the way but we have received positive comments from a production company (RTE were to make it..and then pulled out and asked us to make it ourselves or pitch it to a production company...this is about the time that Storyland arrived)

Anyway...bar names and job titles have evolved along the way, but the characters have always been the same.

Bill & Monty

Format: Six, 30-minute episodes

The show is built around four characters in their late 20s who live and work in Waterford. Much of the action centres on Monty Shortt who owns the pub where a good deal of the first episode is set – Shortt’s Bar. Located in the centre of town, he’s owned the place for six years and loves the job but it’s now become something of a trial due to dwindling customer numbers and rising costs.

Throughout the first season of the show each episode will focus on various methods Monty is employing to save his bar. On a personal note, he’s broken up with part-owner of the bar Jackie – she left him some months ago and now only occasionally works at the bar though we don’t see her in this first episode. Monty is nonetheless a confident character, ready for what the world will throw at him and always willing to try something to save his bar. In addition, one running theme will be his rivalry with a bar owner from across the road, Eamonn, who has been trying to run Monty out of business for some time.

While Monty can’t afford to actually employ anyone else at Shortt’s Bar, often found helping out for a free pint is his long-time best friend, and our second lead character, Bill. Bill is a former accountant who’s been hit by the recession and is now looking for work elsewhere.

Convinced that the situation he finds himself in is all for the best, Bill has decided upon a new career path. In fact he decides on several of them, including stand-up comedian and writer. The first series sees him try to get a particular idea he has for a TV series off the ground. Bill is outwardly an upbeat character, though is prone to bouts of worry over his work situation and has a deep determination to do something special with his life.

Bill’s housemate and another long-time friend is our third character – Jane. Jane is employed in a debt-collection agency, and while some may find this to be a hard job, Jane doesn’t find it that difficult to undertake at all. She has very little faith in humanity in general and she’s no problem pointing out the faults in even her best friends.

Despite this, she is very loyal towards those friends as well. Ideally, she’d like to move job, and probably move away from Waterford but she’s become comfortable with where she is. She’s very confident and slightly judgemental (especially when it comes to any possible romantic entanglements). One feature in each episode will be Jane dealing with the various excuses from Waterford’s scroungers over why they owe money to her employers.

Our fourth main character is one of Jane’s best friends, Melanie. Unemployed at the start of Episode One, she’s no real direction in life. Very genuine, at times quite shy and generally just trying to get on with life, Melanie has known Jane since college. She doesn’t know Monty particularly well, while she suspects (correctly) that Bill is interested in her romantically. During our first episode she ends up working in Monty’s rival bar for Eamonn. Throughout the first series herself and Eamonn will form something of a double act with his interesting views on life, love and the importance of making a decent margin on bar food being questioned by his new employee. We’ll also learn more about Melanie as the series goes on, with each episode containing a personal revelation regarding her family, past work history and previous relationships.


Episode 1: Nazareth Falters

Short synopsis
The episode opens with one of the biggest days in Bill’s life as he pitches a TV show to TV3. As he arrives back to Monty’s bar later in the day he finds his friend still struggling with a lack of customers. Meanwhile Melanie gets a job offer out of the blue as Jane makes a discovery that will have great ramifications as the series moves on. Also, Monty feels he’s landed upon just the idea to get Shortt’s Bar back in business.

It's written by myself and a friend of mine and is being filmed by a Galway director at the end of August.

Casting will be completed in August and we'll need a good few parts filled as well as some extras etc.

Anyone who wants to read a copy of the rough draft 1 copy (the shooting script will remain secret) can send me a pm. It's a quick enough read.

Anyway...just a heads up for my friends on here just in case it does get commissioned!!!

thanks for reading

SUNGOD

great stuff, fair play and best of luck to ye hope it goes according to plan

abouttobebanned

Thanks bud...I'll never forget you..as you were the only man who thanked my "Where in Waterford" thread. A king amongst men.

SUNGOD

just dont forget to get me a handy job as your P.A when your directing for HBO

seanybiker

Nice one. Sounds good. Hope it all goes well for ya

Professey Chin

Best of luck with it.
Sounds like a drunken plan come to reality :pac:

ziedth

Did you Pitch that in the TV forum many years ago? It sounds kinda familiar.

Best of luck for it. Are there any parts that are out of work retail managers?

mike65

Have you all the people hired behind the camera? The Film Production forum might be a good place to post this.

Big Lar

I wish you the very best of luck.

nkay1985

Good stuff. Best of luck with it. I'm sure you'd find a few of us who are willing to fill in as background drunks. I must want you however; we're method actors.

MitchKoobski

Pretty sure I heard about this before over a year ago, good to see it's still going as planned!

Roomic Cube

Sign me up for extraing, I love being an extra, blagged me way into a rubberbandits vid and all

deisemum

Best of luck with this, hope it'll be a great success.

As for extras, Alexis O'Byrne from Come Dine With Me Waterford has worked as an extra so if you're looking for a "posh" extra then she's ideal.

Kanoe

yup, sign me up for an extra too party on in galway.

abouttobebanned

thanks for reading Kanoe

Kanoe

it's brilliant

twitch1984

Best of luck with this, hope it gets commissioned and has a long life

Fajitas!

If you need stills, let me know.