RTÉ Debuts New Comedy Series Royals Next Door

Royals Next Door, a new animated comedy from Finnish-Spanish studio Pikkukala, together with Irish studio Ink and Light and Belgium’s Walking the Dog, has premiered on RTÉ in Ireland.

The series, created and directed by Veronica Lassenius and written by an all-female team of writers, centers on a royal family that moves into the suburbs to show everyone they are just like normal people, much to the delight of 13-year-old Princess Stella who has always wanted to live a regular life. Royals Next Door is broadcast on RTÉ2 every weekday and will debut internationally next year.

The project’s production was delayed by Covid-19 and completed by crew working remotely.

Tamsin Lyons, founder of Ink and Light and producer for Royals Next Door, said: “We have loved every minute of making this series, which makes us laugh every day. We can all identify with Princess Stella’s challenge to fit in at school while still staying true to herself, even if we might not go to quite the extremes she does! We faced a huge number of challenges during the production and we had to adapt our plans. The show was created by really talented artists working from home.”

Eimear O’Mahony, executive producer for RTÉ Young Peoples, added: “Royals Next Door is a great new addition to our slate for RTÉ Kids. It’s especially important for our older audience as it deals with a family being outsiders, and how Stella and her family deal with that in a fun way. Our older audience are adjusting to changes in their lives, be it new schools or groups of friends, and it is really important for them to see people dealing with change being reflected on our screens.”

Andrew Byrne, television manager of Screen Ireland, said: “We are delighted to support Royals Next Door and the talented work of Ink and Light and the broader creative team. Reaching and connecting with younger audiences is an important part of our support and creative investment. We very much look forward to seeing the adventures of Stella and family translate with children across Europe in the coming months.”