The BBC has acquired The Murder of Mr Moonlight, a factual drama originally commissioned by RTÉ in association with Screen Ireland and Banijay Rights. The production is a collaboration between Conker Pictures, a subsidiary of Banijay UK, and Samson Films. Additional funding for the project was provided by Screen Ireland.
The series is adapted for television by Malcolm Campbell and is based on the book by Catherine Fegan. The narrative focuses on the 2011 disappearance and 2013 discovery of Bobby Ryan, a local DJ known as Mr Moonlight, in County Tipperary. The plot covers the investigation and the subsequent trial that resulted in the 2019 life sentence of Patrick Quirke.
The cast features Brendan Coyle as Bobby Ryan, Sinéad Keenan as Mary Lowry, and Owen McDonnell as Patrick Quirke. Supporting roles are filled by Hazel Doupe as Michelle Ryan and Carolyn Bracken as Imelda Quirke. Further cast members include Ian Lloyd Anderson, Danny Power, Helena Browne, Muiris Crowley, Aidan O'Hare, Emmet Byrne, and Pom Boyd.
Kim Varvell and Tommy Bulfin serve as executive producers for Conker Pictures. The production uses research and interviews to document the criminal investigation and the impact on the rural community involved. Patrick Quirke was convicted of the murder of Bobby Ryan in 2019.