Pulling Moves

Pulling Moves is a Northern Irish television series set in Lenadoon, West Belfast. It follows the exploits of four friends: Wardrobe (Simon Delaney), Ta (Ciarán McMenamin), Shay (Ciaran Nolan) and Darragh (Kevin Elliot). The series first aired on BBC Northern Ireland in 2003, and aired nationwide on BBC Three, running for one series of ten episodes.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Premise

Set in Belfast. Each episode follows the group as they try different scams to earn money. ^[5]

Episodes

Episode 1. Clamitis.
Aired: 5 March 2004
Directed by: Brian Kirk
The guys are broke as usual and get involved in trying set up a phoney accident which would get them compensation.

Episode 2. Meat is Murder.
Aired: 5 March 2004
Directed by: Brian Kirk
Ta's uncle asks the guys to dispose of a cow, but the guys spot a chance of making a few pounds selling bits of it off, not realising it is possibly infected with Mad Cow disease.

Episode 3. The Quiz.
Aired: 12 March 2004
Directed by: Brian Kirk
Ta owes his ex-wife child support; she refuses to let him see their son until he pays up. £1,000 prize money for a quiz at the local pub might help him out.

Episode 4. Dog-Eat-Dog.
Aired: 12 March 2004
Directed by: Brian Kirk
The owner of a prize Shih Tzu hires the guys to steal another prize Shih Tzu so the two dogs can mate, but, as usual, things do not go as planned.

Episode 5. Spousal Arousal.
Aired: 19 March 2004
Directed by: Brian Kirk
'Mick Bad News' thinks his wife is having an affair and hires the guys to trail her to a local hotel, where she picks up various men. After telling him the bad news, he suggests they set up a trap for her.

Episode 6. Catch the Pigeon.
Aired: 19 Mar 2004
Directed by: Pearse Elliot
As a favour for the wife of recently deceased Barney the Bird, the guys knock down his pigeon shed, and accidentally come across the secret formula which he fed to his pigeons to make them fly faster. The guys then decide to sell it to the highest bidder, starting a bidding war between 'Honk^[spelling?] Kong Paddy' and 'Petsey Pigeon'.

Episode 7. The Pirate and the Choir Boys.
Aired: 26 March 2004
Directed by: Pearse Elliot
Ta gets a legitimate job and Shay becomes a taxi driver. It looks like the boys are breaking up until Shay upsets Concepta McCluskey, the mother of the three biggest guys in the west.

Episode 8. Two Weddings and a Break In.
Aired: 26 March 2004
Directed by: Phillipa Langdale
Wardrobe wants to buy his mum's house for her as a birthday present, but the guys are broke. An offer from his cousin for the gang to break in and steal his wedding presents whilst he is away on honeymoon could solve Wardrobe's problem, until the local hoodlum, Hokey, gets involved.

Episode 9. The Grandfather Clock.
Aired: 2 April 2004
Directed by: Phillipa Langdale
Local entrepreneur, JJ Diamond enlists the help of the guys to bring a grandfather clock across the border. But dissident republicans hijack their van and use it for planting a bomb.

Episode 10. All Day Long.
Aired: 2 April 2004
Directed by: Phillipa Langdale
Still working for JJ Diamond, the guys almost have enough money for a stag night for Ta, but when they go to do one last move for JJ, the police have arrived at his house and arrested Carol, so the guys are asked to smuggle JJ out of the country.

Cast

Simon Delaney as Wardrobe
Ciarán McMenamin as Ta
Kevin Elliott as Darragh
Ciaran Nolan as Shay
Gerard Jordan as Hoker
Kathy Kiera Clarke as Una
Lorraine Pilkington as Siobhan
Doreen Keogh as Wardbrobe's Ma
Sean McGinley as Bap the Butcher
Stephen Boyd as Aran
Dennis Greig as Crazyhorse
Tony Flynn as Dole Clerk
Paula McFetridge as Goretti
Lalor Roddy as Client Advisor
George Shane as Policeman
Louise Ewings as Niamh
Sean McNamee as Shay's Da
Ossian McCulloch as Ciaran
Roisin Finnegan as Aoife
Bridie McMahon as Ma Maguire

References

^ "BBC NI Drama 'Pulling Moves' Begins This Week - The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
^ "Not funny? Give My Head Peace, says creator Quinn". Retrieved 6 March 2019 – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
^ Ireland, Culture Northern (9 January 2006). "A Mighty Celt". Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
^ McGown, Alistair D. (28 December 2004). BFI Television Handbook 2005: The Essential Guide to UK TV: 2005. British Film Institute. ISBN 9781844570270. Retrieved 6 March 2019 – via Google Books.
^ Guide, British Comedy. "Pulling Moves - BBC3 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 November 2024.

[1] "BBC NI Drama 'Pulling Moves' Begins This Week - The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie. Retrieved 6 March 2019.

[2] "Not funny? Give My Head Peace, says creator Quinn". Retrieved 6 March 2019 – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

[3] Ireland, Culture Northern (9 January 2006). "A Mighty Celt". Culture Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2019.

[auto-4] McGown, Alistair D. (28 December 2004). BFI Television Handbook 2005: The Essential Guide to UK TV: 2005. British Film Institute. ISBN 9781844570270. Retrieved 6 March 2019 – via Google Books.

[5] Guide, British Comedy. "Pulling Moves - BBC3 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 November 2024.

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