Kat & Alfie: Redwater

Shane Richie said he was "thrilled" to be in Redwater.[3]

In 2015, Alex Lamb, story producer for EastEnders, pitched a storyline that Kat would discover a son she did not know about, and it was hoped that Kat's search for her son would bring the character "new purpose", but it was felt that Kat's search could not be confined to the setting of Albert Square, and a week of EastEnders episodes set in Spain was considered. Treadwell-Collins pitched the week of episodes to then-Controller of Drama, Ben Stephenson, but they realised that the story would be big enough for its own series and Treadwell-Collins thought that Kat and Alfie "could work in a whole new universe" and that "other characters and their stories could be created around them."[23] Originally the series was to be set in Spain, but Treadwell-Collins thought it was "too obvious" as the series needed to be "fresh, different and to have soul." Treadwell-Collins came up with the idea of setting the series in Ireland when he was on holiday in New Orleans on St Patrick's Day, and he saw people having fun but also claiming to be Irish. Treadwell-Collins realised that Ireland had not been portrayed in mainstream British television since the series Ballykissangel, and the Slater family's (of which Kat is a member) biography in EastEnders states that their origins are in Ireland, and with Wallace, Richie and Treadwell-Collins all having Irish backgrounds, Treadwell-Collins said that "Ireland felt right".[23]

The new series for actors Wallace and Richie was confirmed on 4 April 2015 by Treadwell-Collins. It was announced that the characters of Kat and Alfie would leave EastEnders together, and the series would be set in Ireland.[3] Treadwell-Collins' intention was to create "a new contemporary ensemble drama set in Ireland".[24] Treadwell-Collins called it the "perfect time" for the characters to be taken "out of their comfort zone" and added that his team were "creating a whole new drama that stands apart from EastEnders while taking our style of storytelling to a place of stories, myth, secrets and immeasurable beauty."[3] Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, said: "Life is anything but dull for favourite EastEnders couple Kat and Alfie as they embark on a new life in Ireland in this exciting drama series. Rest assured, their rollercoaster isn't set to end any time soon."[3] Redwater is the first major network drama to derive from EastEnders.[17]

Speaking in reference to the show, Wallace commented, "I have always loved working on EastEnders so when I heard of this new drama to take Kat and Alfie outside of Walford, I couldn't believe our luck. To be exploring the next chapter for Kat as well as working alongside my best mate, Shane, is a dream come true and a huge compliment."[3] Richie said, "Both Jessie and I are absolutely thrilled to be given this amazing opportunity. To have a whole drama focused around Kat and Alfie is a huge honour for us both and we just can't wait to start filming."[3] Treadwell-Collins later spoke again about the new series: "We want to create something big around [Kat and Alfie]. EastEnders as a brand can afford to do it and I've always wanted to do something like that. I'm from Ireland originally, so it's a place I know well. Shane's Irish, Jessie’s half Irish—so, there’s an Irish connection between all of us. The other important thing about the spin-off show is it's not just about Kat and Alfie—we've created a whole new world and a new lot of characters. The writers have created a really lovely, interesting world, but also with our style of storytelling."[6] EastEnders previously had a storyline set in Ireland in 1997, which was heavily criticised for its unflattering depiction of Irish life, but Richie stated the series would not parody Irish life or "play the dopey card".[25]

The village of Redwater was first namechecked in EastEnders on 21 January 2016.[26] Redwater was announced as the official title on 1 August 2016.[27] 13 April 2017, the title of the series was revealed as Kat & Alfie: Redwater,[28][29] though it continued to be referred to as Redwater.[30][31][32] Treadwell-Collins said that he would not be working on a second series as he had left the BBC but had spoken to producer Victoria Wharton about it and had "[started] putting plans in place about what would happen next. Throughout the series, we have very carefully laid down secrets and hinted at other characters. The end of this series will feel like a midpoint—not an ending. We leave it on the mother of all cliffhangers at the end of episode six."[33] On 14 June 2017, the BBC stated that no decision had yet been made for the series to return.[34] On 20 September 2017, it was officially confirmed that Kat & Alfie: Redwater would not return for a second series, with a BBC spokesperson saying, "In order to increase the range of new original drama on BBC One, Kat & Alfie: Redwater won't be returning."[35]

Coliemore Harbour in Dalkey, Ireland, was used as a filming location for Redwater between 5 and 11 May 2016.[36]

Kat & Alfie: Redwater is a co-production between the BBC and RTÉ.[12] Filming was originally due to start in autumn 2015, with the series being broadcast in 2016.[3] Wallace and Richie were to be given time off from EastEnders to film the series, with Treadwell-Collins saying they would be out of EastEnders "for a while".[6] The characters departed from screens on 22 May 2015. However, the series was delayed for unspecified reasons[37] and on 17 October 2015, it was announced that the pair would return to EastEnders, appearing over the Christmas period to set up the storyline that sees Kat discover she has a son and Alfie reveal his tumour.[7] Richie and Wallace first saw the scripts for Redwater on 13 January 2016,[38] and it was confirmed that filming would start after they finished touring with the stage show The Perfect Murder,[38] which was scheduled to run from 2 February until 2 April 2016.[39]

Filming was scheduled to take place in Ireland over a period of three to four months.[38] On 5 April 2016, Treadwell-Collins tweeted the front page of the script from the first episode, confirming that the first read-through was that day, and the episode was written by Matthew Graham.[40] The other writers for the series are Lauren Klee, Matthew Barry (two episodes)[41] and Julie Dixon (two episodes),[42] though Graham oversaw the storylines for the other five episodes.[23] Jesper W. Nielsen (four episodes)[19] and Karl Neilson (two episodes)[23] are the directors and Victoria Wharton is the producer.[24] Graham said he was attracted to the series because he used to be a writer for EastEnders and found Kat and Alfie to be "two of the most dynamic characters to write for", and wanted to "[create] the debris from [Kat's] explosive arrival [in Redwater]".[24]

Filming started near Dublin on 11 April 2016,[22][43][44] while the last two scripts were still being produced.[45] Scenes in the setting of St Brendan's Catholic Church were filmed at St Matthias' Church, Killiney, on the first two days.[46][47] On-location filming also took place in Dalkey's Coliemore Harbour between 5 and 11 May.[36][48][49][50] Six weeks of on-location filming took place in the village of Dunmore East in County Waterford, starting on 25 May 2016.[4][25] The scripts called for a seaside town or village and out of the options found by the location management team, Dunmore East was chosen.[4] Dunmore East was essentially renamed to Redwater during filming, with the local council and businesses getting involved.[51] Various locations in the village were used, including the beach, church,[52] The Strand Inn and The Spinnaker Bar,[53] with filming at The Strand Inn starting immediately,[54] and interior filming at The Spinnaker Bar lasting three days from 31 May to 2 June 2016.[55] The Strand Inn was used for five separate fictional locations in the series: a tourism office, restaurant, surf shop, sushi bar, and the exterior of the pub,[56] called Peter Dolan's in the series,[57] for which the facade of The Strand Inn was transformed.[4] A country fair, called The Winking Fish, was set up outside The Strand Inn for the purpose of filming.[57] The nearby village of Passage East was also used for filming.[4] Filming ended on 26 July 2016.[58] Wallace filmed some of her own stunts, including jumping from a boat into the sea and an underwater sequence, which were filmed in Dublin.[59] Some filming was also done at Magheramore beach, County Wicklow, including a scene filmed at midnight where mist was created over the sea.[19] The series was filmed with a single camera.[18]

Richie said that as Redwater is a stand-alone series, there is no reference to the EastEnders locations of Walford, Albert Square or The Queen Victoria pub, though Alfie does mention that he once worked in a pub, being the only reference to their time in EastEnders.[60] Kat and Alfie's twin sons, Bert and Ernie Moon, do not appear in Redwater, because Treadwell-Collins knew that having two small children in the series would have "limited Kat and Alfie and they wouldn't have been able to do as much", though revealed that they were originally due to appear, but "suddenly you ended up having storylines about who is looking after the twins and on a show like this we needed to tell other stories" and confirmed that Kat and Alfie have only left them for a few weeks and check on them during the series.[33]

It was announced on 30 April 2017 that EastEnders would make a "subtle reference" to Redwater in May, "in a bid to keep the two shows in the same universe", revealing that Kat and Alfie have arrived in Ireland.[61] The reference was made in the episode shown on 16 May 2017, two days before Redwater's UK premiere, in which Kat's relative, Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner), receives a postcard from the pair.[62] Redwater viewers noticed a continuity error in relation to this, as the flashback scene at the start of episode 1 is set in 1994, and then the story continues from "21 years later", meaning it takes place in 2015, though Kat and Alfie left EastEnders in 2016 which is when Kat discovered that her son existed, and Stacey received the postcard from Kat in EastEnders in 2017. In Redwater, Kat refers to a postcard concerning her son dated from December 1983, though the EastEnders timeline gives her son's birth as being in February 1984.[63] Additionally, Adam Postans from the Daily Mirror said that the details in EastEnders of how Kat discovers her son is in Redwater were either "forgotten or abandoned" as they are different in Redwater.[64]

The music for Redwater was scored by Natalie Holt for synthesizers, guitar and a 12-piece string section, and was performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra, led by Thomas Gould and conducted by Andy Brown. It was then engineered by Toby Hulbert at Air-Edel Studios in London.[65] The theme tune was sung by Úna Palliser.[66] Music from Irish bands, including Pursued by Dogs, Little Green Cars, Kíla and Ham Sandwich, also features in the series.[67]

Cast member Fionnula Flanagan said her character is "full of secrets, deceit and manipulation."[68]

Richie and Wallace were confirmed as actors is in the series upon its announcement, playing their EastEnders characters, Kat and Alfie.[3] though in the series, Wallace's character is credited as "Kathleen" and called as such by the majority of characters.[60] Fionnula Flanagan was confirmed to be having a main role in the series on 11 April 2016, when she said her character, named Agnes Byrne,[69] was "full of secrets, deceit and manipulation."[68] The full cast was revealed on 12 April 2016, with their character names officially confirmed by 5 May 2017. The rest of the cast are Maria Doyle Kennedy as Roisín Kelly, Ian McElhinney as Lance Byrne, Angeline Ball as Eileen Harrington, Peter Campion as Andrew Kelly, Stanley Townsend as Peter Dolan, Ebony O'Toole-Acheampong as Adeen Kelly, Oisín Stack as Father Dermott Dolan, Stephen Hogan as Padraig Kelly, Susan Ateh as Bernie Kelly and Ian Toner as Kieran Harrington.[8][70][69] Kathleen is described as "a very colourful person" with "a lot of layers to her".[18] Alfie is "a charmer" with "a big heart" who cares about his family.[10] Roisín is described as "quite complicated", different on the outside to how she is inside, "very practical, very stoic" and "quite dutiful".[71] Eileen, Roisín's sister, is described as having a "dual personality", "a fighter and a survivor", yet "quite fragile" with an "underlying sadness".[72] Lance is a family patriarch, but described as "quite weak", while his wife, Agnes, "rules the roost".[11] Additionally, Kat's son Tommy Moon appears in the series, played by Henry Proctor.[70] Ryan Burke, Anton Giltrap and Eoin Daly appear in the series as young Andrew, Kieran and Dermott respectively, and Orla Hannon plays Iris Dolan.[29] Ronan Connett plays Jonjo Kelly.[73] Extras for the series were cast from open auditions held at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club in Dunmore East on 1 April 2016[74] and The Central Arts on The Quay in Waterford on 2 April 2016.[75]

Before the broadcast of the first episode, David Brown from Radio Times said, "Atmospheric, intriguing and with a primetime sheen that seems a world away from soapland, it'll have you hooked from episode one."[87] A writer for What's on TV said, "It’s gripping and surprising, has a thoroughbred cast of Irish actors and is more filmic than soap. Worth delving into even if you’ve never heard of Kat and Alfie."[88] Tom Eames from Digital Spy called the series a "bold move from the BBC" that "looks like a show that is a must-watch whether you're an EastEnders fan or not."[89] Steven Murphy, editor for Inside Soap, urged the magazine's readers to watch Redwater, despite previous soap spin-offs, such as Ricky & Bianca or Coronation Street: Open All Hours, being unmemorable, because "It's mysterious, moody and dramatic—and looks stunning by making the best of its gorgeous Irish location."[90] Fiona Sturges from The Guardian said, "There is—improbable as it sounds—a degree of suspense here, not to say proper acting. The problem is that whenever Kat and Alfie appear—he the well-meaning idiot, she the wounded fishwife—the spell is broken. The BBC is trying to sell this as Broadchurch meets The Wicker Man, but the reality is more NCSI: Ballykissangel. I love Kat and Alfie, but the quicker they get back to Albert Square, the better."[91] Sean O'Grady from The Independent said, "it's an un-soapy, unclaustrophobic sort of production, and a storyline about a long-lost son adds the necessary emotional stress."[92]

After the first episode was shown in Ireland, Peter Crawley from The Irish Times said that Redwater "looks like a very British idea of Ireland" that is full of "Irish clichés". He opined that Dermott was "the show’s most unlikely character", calling him "a 33-year-old bearded hipster priest [...] who accessorises his collar with a hoodie and a donkey jacket [and] flies into a rage at the sight of orange juice". He concluded, "it is hard to decide whether Redwater is a silly show redeemed by its seriousness, or a serious show alleviated by its silliness. It is a peculiar crossover, somewhere between Britain and Ireland, soap and drama; but, so far, it is neither here nor there."[93] Keeley Ryan from Belfast Live reported that the episode received a mixed reaction in Ireland, based on tweets from viewers.[94] Harry Guerin, writing for RTÉ.ie, said, "the first episode suggested that the clichés won't pile up" and "when Redwater focused on being a thriller (both whoisit and whodunit) there was much to savour—excellent performances, a swirling mist of grief and guilt, an eerily relevant story about forced adoptions, and the growing sense that the just-arrived wideboy and girl from Walford are waaay out of their depth." He said that the episode's ending was "more season finale than 'until next week' and the only major 'ah here' from the writers—the same outcome could have been delivered far more convincingly with a bit of narrative restraint." [95] The episode was criticised by Irish viewers for depicting Irish stereotypes such as drinking Guinness and whisky chasers in pubs, and the Irish cast were accused of putting on "over-the-top" Irish accents. Oisin Stack defended the show, saying, "It's a psychological thriller that's meant to have a sense of suspense. Everything is meant to be heightened. I think if people are giving out about the realism, they're missing the point of the genre. It's meant to be stylised and filled with dramatic suspense."[96]

Daniel Kilkelly (Digital Spy) called the first episode "atmospheric" and "gripping". He said, "While Kat shines in Redwater, it's fair to say that Alfie seems a little bit lost and directionless in the first episode, with even scenes of him experiencing weird visions and nearly dying (twice!) seeming like time-fillers." He said the characters of Agnes and Dermott had "immediately caught our attention" but wondered if the show would appeal to viewers who are not EastEnders fans, saying "surely you have to be an EastEnders watcher to really care about Kat's quest for her son?" but said "for us it's a thumbs up if Redwater can keep up the suspense, surprises, gothic tone and sense of foreboding that sets it apart from EastEnders."[97] The series was reviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live's Afternoon Edition, where TV critic Emma Bullimore from TV Times said that it was "enjoyable" but more "soapy" and less "complex" than Broadchurch, and said that viewers should not expect it to be like EastEnders or Broadchurch but should "accept it as a new thing", adding that it had good production values and deemed it a "worthy experiment". Sinéad Garvan from Newsbeat, speaking at the same time, said that she found it "weird" seeing Kat and Alfie in a different setting and was more intrigued by the new characters but said that Kat and Alfie still had the same chemistry that they have in EastEnders.[98]

Following episode 6, which ended on multiple cliffhangers, Sophie Dainty from Digital Spy said that it was "undoubtedly everything the show had originally promised it would be—dark, gripping, enchanting and excellently written" but it "offered very few answers for the fans who had committed six hours of their lives to this".[99] Dainty and Duncan Lindsay from the Metro both hoped for a second series.[99][100]

In the United Kingdom, the second episode was scheduled against ITV's Emmerdale for 30 minutes, and was watched during its BBC One broadcast on the night by 2.7 million viewers. This was a reduction from the previous week (4.19 million). Sophie Dainty (Digital Spy) said this could have been because of its clash with Emmerdale, as they were not scheduled against each other the previous week. However, while episode 1 received similar viewership to that of the preceding episode of EastEnders, the episode of EastEnders that preceded episode 2 of Redwater was watched by 5.1 million viewers on the night of broadcast, meaning that many EastEnders viewers did not stay tuned to BBC One to watch its spin-off. Dainty said, "This is bound to raise questions of whether Redwater is in the wrong slot going up against Emmerdale, given that the clash is bound to leave soap fans with divided loyalties over which one to watch live".[101]

In Ireland, the first episode was watched overnight by 495,000 viewers.[102] Episode two saw a drop in viewers to 447,000 viewers, while episode three saw a significant drop to 389,200 viewers. Between episodes one and three, Redwater lost 7% of the Irish audience share. Aoife Kelly of the Irish Independent noted that the return of The Sunday Game on RTÉ2, airing in the same slot as Redwater, may have impacted its ratings.[103] At the conclusion of the series, critic Peter Crawley observed that ratings had decreased since the beginning of the series in both Britain and Ireland.[104]

In May 2017, Kat & Alfie: Redwater was longlisted in the Best New Drama category of the TV Choice Awards,[105] but did not reach the viewer-voted shortlist.