THE PETER CASEY SHOW
Controversial Áras runner-up in talks with producers to film reality TV programme... about him running for the European Parliament
CONTROVERSIAL presidential candidate Peter Casey is set to take part in a fly-on-the-wall TV series that will follow him as he campaigns for a European Parliament seat.
The former Dragons’ Den star met with production company Shinawil before Christmas and agreed the outline of a deal that would see a TV crew record his efforts to capitalise on his shock second place in the Áras race by winning an MEP seat.
The Derry native, who has a house in Donegal, is expected to campaign for a seat in the Midlands-North-West constituency in the election, which takes place on Friday, May 24.
The businessman went from a rank outsider in the presidential election to runner-up after he dismissed the idea of Travellers having ethnicity and also hit out at a ‘sense of entitlement’ among some welfare recipients.
At the time, Mr Casey said he did not believe his
controversial remarks about the Travelling community propelled him to second place in the polls.
He said that he went up in the ratings because he spoke about the people who were really hurting and because he was relatable to middle Ireland.
While the TV project is in its infancy, sources say they believe it could be a huge hit.
‘People are interested in what Peter has to say,’ a well-placed source told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘As it stands now, he has agreed to take part in a fly-on-the-wall series and when we met him before Christmas he was delighted to come on board.
‘The hope is that he will decide to run in the European election later on this year. He said he is intent on running, and if he gets the sort of support that he did in the presidential campaign, then he has a great chance.’
The source said the show ‘would follow the campaign trail, the election and the result’, and would be pitched to both RTÉ and Virgin. They added: ‘It is very early days, but with Peter on board it should make for compelling television.’
Speaking after the presidential
‘He is a compelling character’
election, Mr Casey said middle Ireland was feeling tired and felt like nobody was listening to it.
He said he believed people were looking for a voice, and that they wanted someone who would say things that were on their mind.
Mr Casey said the vast majority of people who voted for him were paying all the bills and barely getting by.
‘The real reason I got a bump in the polls is because I spoke about and said, “Middle Ireland – they’re the people that are hurting, they’re the people who got absolutely nothing out of the last budget and they’re the ones that are paying all the bills”.’
It is understood that a pilot for the series would be made on the back of Mr Casey’s decision to contest the European elections.
Such a decision would need to be made in the coming weeks.
Shinawil is the TV company behind Dragons’ Den as well as Master Chef, The Apprentice and Dancing With The Stars.
‘This style of documentary series is very popular,’ added the source. ‘You see them on Netflix and they can run for an hour or a half an hour. Peter is a compelling character and I would imagine RTÉ and Virgin would both be very interested in this project. He managed to speak and connect to people and I think they will love this project.’
Shortly after the presidential election, Mr Casey suggested he could join Fianna Fáil with a view to one day becoming Taoiseach.
‘The Fianna Fáil party was always about the people of Ireland, but I believe the party has lost its way in recent years and lost this position as the party that listens to the ordinary people of Ireland and represents their concerns,’ he told a Sunday newspaper.
‘I want to be the one that leads Fianna Fáil back to its natural home as the party of the people, to get it back on track and to get the party listening again to the real people, to get outside of the bubble of Dublin and Leinster House and the political and media establishment.’
However, the idea was quickly rebuffed by the party.