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RTE’s gritty crime drama Love/Hate is almost certain to return, as writer and creator Stuart Carolan reveals he is currently writing the third series.
The future of the drug fuelled drama was uncertain when it emerged that RTE had not committed to another series, despite the massive viewership the Dublin based drama had attracted.
However, speaking this morning on Ian Dempsey’s Breakfast show on Today Fm where Love/Hate won Best TV Show in the Listeners’ End of Year Poll, Carolan conceded it was about '95 per cent' certain that the show would be back for a third series.
“There is a fairly good chance,” he told Dempsey. “I’d be really surprised if it didn’t happen.” The creator admitted he was taken by how successful the show had been on the back of the second series. “We were surprised it did so well this year. The DVD has totally sold out.”
While Aidan Gillen’s gang-leader character, John Boy, won’t be returning for the third series, after taking a hit from his own side in the last series, Carolan says other characters like Robert Sheehan’s Darren and Nidge will play pivotal roles.
“Nidge is great character and Fran is going to have to come out of prison and Robert Sheehan will come back. The girl who plays Debbie is a great actress and she will be back too. We will try to get as many of them as back as possible and see who is available. I will have to beg them to come back to get shot!”
The married dad of three from Navan admitted he heavily immerses himself in research for the characters. “I talk to a lot of people and do a huge amount of research, but in Ireland it’s not so much six degrees but two degrees of separation,” he conceded. “ The hardest thing was not putting stuff in that I had not found out,” Carolan said.
Other winners in the Ian Dempsey end of year poll included:
The Word of the Year.... Amazeballs
Guilty Pleasure of the Year....JEdward at the Eurovision
Sporting Moment of the Year....Ireland v Australia at the Rugby World Cup
Spanner of the Year... Gay Mitchell
Woman of the Year... Mary McAleese
Movie of the Year...The Guard
One to Watch... Katie Taylor at the Olympics 2012
Gig of the Year..Take That at Croke Park
Shock of the Year... Amy Winehouse death
Feelgood Moment of the Year....The Queen’s Speech in Dublin Castle/ Obama’s Speech in College Green
Man of the Year... President Michael D Higgins
