ACCLAIMED Irish crime drama Kin is set to air on BBC One in Britain after the star-studded series wowed viewers in Ireland.
The show, which stars Game Thrones actors Ciarán Hinds and Aidan Gillen, won rave reviews after debuting on RTÉ One in September 2021.
It would go on to scoop six gongs at the 2022 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards, including Best Drama and Best Drama Script for creator Peter McKenna.
Its stars also swept the board with awards going to Sam Keeley (Best Lead Actor), Clare Dunne (Best Lead Actress), Hinds (Best Supporting Actor) and Maria Doyle Kennedy (Best Supporting Actress).
The show also features Daredevil's Charlie Cox as well as Emmett J. Scanlan, who starred in Hollyoaks, The Fall and Peaky Blinders.
"Anchored by a tremendous cast, Kin is a powerful and intense story of love, grief, family and crime, and its devastating ramifications," said Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition.
Gangland war
As well as a stellar cast and crew, Kin — which aired its second season in Ireland earlier this year — also boasts an amazing production team.
It was produced by Bron, the company behind the Oscar-winning 2019 box office smash, Joker, and Headline Pictures, which developed Amazon's hit series, The Man in the High Castle.
In the series, local crime family the Kinsellas embark on a gangland war with the international Cunningham cartel, headed up in Ireland by Eamon Cunningham (Hinds).
Out-numbered, out-financed and out-gunned, the Kinsellas find themselves holed up in their Dublin stronghold while their businesses fail and family members and associates are picked off.
But they have something the cartel does not — the unbreakable bonds of blood and family.
Kin was a huge hit for RTÉ in Ireland, where it recently aired its second season (Image: RTÉ)The series was acquired by the BBC from distribution company Fifth Season, which produced Apple TV shows See and Severance.
Fifth Season's Jennifer Ebell spoke of the company's excitement at bringing Kin — which aired in the US on AMC+ — to a British audience.
"Kin aired in Ireland to critical acclaim and has generated record-breaking ratings across both linear and on demand," she said.
"The series has clocked up more than 4million lifetime streams in Ireland, with the second season averaging a 40 per cent audience share in its Sunday night slot and its finale becoming the most-viewed programme of the year outside of sport.
"We're thrilled that Kin has found its UK home with the BBC."
Hope Street return
While a premiere date has yet to be established for Kin, the eight-part series is expected to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The finale of season two, which aired on RTÉ One on May 8, was watched by almost half-a-million people, accounting for about 37 per cent of the available audience.
In other news, the BBC has revealed a third series of crime drama series Hope Street has been commissioned.
Niamh McGrady and Aaron McCusker play Nicole and Clint Devine-Dunwoody in Hope Street (Image: BBC/Jack Maguire/Long Story TV)Set in the fictional Northern Ireland town of Port Devine, the show features Shameless actor Aaron McCusker and Brid Brennan, who starred in the BAFTA-winning film, Brooklyn.
The series, which is filmed in Donaghadee in Co. Down, returns to BBC One Northern Ireland at 7pm on Monday, October 30.
Series one and two are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer, with the show available on BBC Daytime in the new year.
