It has just gone 13 years since RTÉ debuted one of its greatest comedies to little or no reaction. Soupy Norman only lasted eight episodes and never did hit the viewership heights of the likes of Mr Brown's Boys or, indeed, the viewership heights of an average local bingo audience but for those who did watch it, it was unforgettable.
The Rubberbandits perhaps put it best when they tweeted "To this day I've no idea how RTE let something that good on TV."
Written and edited by Barry Murphy (of Après Match fame) and Mark Doherty, Soupy Norman was a re-dubbing of the Polish soap opera, Pierwsza miłość. Set in Buttevant, Co Cork, a town that was "13km from anything," the story centred around Esther, a girl who left Cork for the metropolitan heights of Dublin. Although to say there was an actual 'story' would be a stretch.
For those of you who have seen it before you'll know what mean. For those of you that haven't, take a look for yourself:
The show featured other well-known Irish voices, such as Tara Flynn and Mario Rosenstock, and while it may have never been renewed for a second series, it did return for a Christmas special; a fake Late Late tribute to Soupy Norman that was arguably even better than the actual series.
While it may not have been much a success during its initial airing, the series developed somewhat of a cult following and now, thanks to some kind soul, you can watch nearly all of it on YouTube. The full playlist is below:
I think we can all agree, it's time to #BringBackSoupyNorman.
