HIT streaming television series Bodkin is the sixth most watched show on Netflix globally, with more than 7.3 million views since its launch on May 9th.
The show was primarily filmed in Union Hall in West Cork and set in a fictional town in the area called Bodkin. It stars US comedian and actor Will Forte and Síobhan Cullen and is a comedy thriller about a crew of podcasters who set out to investigate the disappearance of three strangers in the town.
It was the sixth most watched Netflix show globally last week, and in the top 10 in 51 countries.
The success of the show is expected to be a boon to tourism in West Cork – indeed Forte told US TV favourite Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show how he felt a deep connection with West Cork.
The concluding episode of Bodkin was directed by Paddy Breathnach and filmed in Union Hall and centres around a Macnas-style Samhain festival parade. Netflix has produced a behind-the-scenes video showcasing the creation of the Samhain festival for the show, which featured pyrotechnics, giant puppets, and more than 300 extras.
Show creator Jez Scharf said ‘Samhain’ – the Celtic harvest festival which inspired Halloween – wasn’t in the original pilot ‘but we had a brilliant writers’ room, and we got into all sorts of amazing discussions about Ireland and interesting things about Ireland, and Samhain came up.’
Actress Siobhan Cullen said the parade filled Union Hall.
‘The Samhain Festival itself, when we came to film it, was spectacular. The production design and the costumes and everything, it looks amazing.’
