THE fifth season of Love/Hate will satisfy fans who can expect “a lot of pay-offs”, according to the gangland drama’s long-running director David Caffrey.
Caffrey, who is up for an Irish Film & Television award tomorrow night, added that “the last season was all about tension” and that the new season would be a close continuation of season four.
The Co Wicklow native also said the new season would offer more action and in depth story lines.
Filming of the forthcoming RTÉ series is underway in north and west of Dublin, and whilst there have been rumours that Spain will be one of the surprise locations for the fifth series, the show’s director was reluctant to confirm this.
Tomorrow night the director will join the best of Ireland’s creative talent at this year’s IFTAs, for which Love/Hate has received eight nominations, including Best Drama and Best Script for a Television Drama.
Caffrey has been given the nod for Best Director of a Television Drama for the series about Ireland’s criminal underworld, and will face competition from Ciaran Donnelly (Vikings), Ian Fitzgibbon (Moone Boy) and Thaddeus O'Sullivan (Amber) in winning the coveted award.
He admitted that he is looking forward to what will be a “really brilliant night for Irish film and television."
“To be nominated by your peers is very satisfying,” he said. “Once you suffer the disappointment of being nominated and not even getting to the races, that’s the time when you take nothing for granted anymore.
“It could be 20 years before you get nominated again. It’s a real honour.”
He also added of the upcoming ceremony, “where the IFTAs differentiate from other awards is that it’s in the country you come from.”
With Love/Hate also having gained popularity outside of Ireland – season one aired in the UK on Channel 5 last summer - Caffrey was quick to point out the key to the series' success.
“I think the crime genre is something that is a major fascination to the people; in that respect if you look at a lot of shows the crime genre is a popular one,” he explained.
“I think what we manage to do is keep it as real as possible and being accurate with our depiction of the police and people, and also we keep the show very exciting.
“But there is a certain reality whether you’re a gangster or not, the hum drum of everyday life, which we depict quite a lot when the show is being scripted by Stuart [Carolan].
“I think it struck a chord with people over here [in Ireland] for this reason. There’s an element of it that people from other countries are also able to see."
