FIANNA Fáil Councillor Audrey Buckley has a whole new appreciation for television production, following her stint as an extra in the new series of The Young Offenders, which is currently being shown on BBC1.
Cllr Buckley took time out from her canvassing in the Carrigaline area to sit down at home on a recent Friday night and catch a fleeting glimpse of herself in a courtroom scene shot at Cork Courthouse in Anglesea Street.
‘This was filmed in April of last year and a friend of mine, Pat Nagle, who works as a location manager for the show, asked me if I wanted to be an extra on the show. He didn’t have to ask twice! I had also helped him scout accommodation for crew in the Crosshaven and Myrtleville area,’ she told The Southern Star.
‘I have a newfound respect for all the actors and crew as it can be a long day shooting.
‘I went in around 5am and we were hanging around for hours and we didn’t finish until 1pm for my courtroom scene, where I played a case worker,’ said the election candidate.
She quipped that she was there for eight hours for about two minutes of fame.
Cllr Buckley, almost out of shot, in the background in a scene from The Young Offenders, currently on BBC1.
‘It was great fun and especially getting to meet the cast, like Jennifer Barry from Kilbrittain, PJ Gallagher, and Alex Murphy who plays Conor in the show.
‘Being an extra really gave me a great understanding of the whole filming process and just one of the court scenes must have been shot 15 times.’
While the comedy series, directed by Peter Foot, was filmed in 2023, it is expected that RTÉ won’t be showing it until next year.
