You know that feeling when you're watching a new show and you spend half the time on IMDb because every face looks familiar? That is exactly what happens with the cast of Small Town Big Story. It’s one of those weirdly perfect ensembles where Chris O’Dowd managed to pluck people from Mad Men, House of the Dragon, and the best of Irish indie cinema and shove them into a fictional, slightly supernatural border town called Drumbán.
Honestly, the mix shouldn’t work. You have Christina Hendricks—basically Hollywood royalty—walking through a muddy Irish field. Then there’s Paddy Considine, who we last saw literally rotting on a throne in Westeros, now playing a panicked local GP.
It’s chaotic. It’s "very dramatic comedy," as Sky likes to call it. But mostly, it’s a masterclass in casting.
The Heavy Hitters: Hendricks and Considine
At the heart of the cast of Small Town Big Story are two actors who carry a lot of "prestige TV" weight.
Christina Hendricks plays Wendy Patterson. Wendy is a "hometown girl made good" who left Drumbán twenty years ago under a cloud of mystery and returns as a high-powered Hollywood producer. She’s there to film an epic called I Am Celt, but she’s also there to dig up a secret from New Year's Eve 1999. Hendricks brings that sharp, slightly detached LA energy that clashes perfectly with the local "rattled misfits."
Then you have Paddy Considine as Séamus Proctor.
He’s the town’s doctor. He’s the pillar of the community. He’s also clearly one step away from a nervous breakdown because of whatever happened between him and Wendy in the woods two decades ago. Considine is great at playing "simmering internal panic," and he uses every bit of it here.
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The Proctor Family: Familiar Faces from Moone Boy
If you were a fan of Moone Boy, you’ll notice a bit of a reunion happening in the cast of Small Town Big Story.
David Rawle, who played young Martin Moone, is back. He’s grown up quite a bit and plays Sonny Proctor, Séamus’s son. Sonny is a medical school dropout who is currently "finding himself" (read: doing nothing) while working as a temporary receptionist at his dad's surgery.
The rest of the Proctor clan is rounded out by:
- Eileen Walsh as Catherine Proctor: You’ll recognize her from Catastrophe. She plays Séamus’s wife, a schoolteacher who is rightfully suspicious of the glamorous redhead who just rolled into town.
- Leia Murphy as Joanne Proctor: The daughter approaching her 18th birthday. She’s the talented one of the bunch, but she gets sucked into the Hollywood vortex when she auditions for a role in Wendy's production.
The Drumbán Locals (The "Misfits")
A show like this lives or dies by its supporting characters. The cast of Small Town Big Story is packed with Irish character actors who make the town feel lived-in and properly eccentric.
David Wilmot plays Keith McCurdle. Keith is the guy who runs the petrol station and is weirdly obsessed with bringing film crews to town. Wilmot is one of those actors who is in everything—Station Eleven, Bodkin, The Alienist—and he’s always the most interesting person on screen.
Then there's Michelle Forbes as Barbara the Butcher. No, not that Michelle Forbes (from Star Trek or The Killing), but the Irish actress Michèle Forbes, who brings a gritty, local authenticity to the role.
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The pub, The White Ridge, is the hub for the rest of the gang:
- Evanne Kilgallon is Shelly McGoldrick, the barkeep.
- Peter McGann plays Matt Magee, a local who seems to spend most of his life in the pub.
- Andrew Bennett and Ruth McCabe play Barry and Betty Battles.
The Hollywood Invasion
Since the plot involves a massive TV crew descending on a tiny village, we get some great "outsider" characters.
Tim Heidecker shows up as Brad. If you know Heidecker from Tim and Eric or his various alt-comedy projects, you know exactly what he brings: an obnoxious, "LA-douche" energy that provides some of the show's funniest moments. He’s Wendy’s colleague and is basically there to be the antagonist within the production.
Patrick Martins plays Jules O'Brien, the assistant locations scout. He’s the guy trying to make the "magic" happen while the locals just want him to stop blocking their driveways.
That Chris O’Dowd Cameo
You can't have a Chris O'Dowd show without the man himself popping up.
O’Dowd plays Jack E. McCarthy, the author of the book I Am Celt that Wendy is adapting. He’s a bit of a parody of a pretentious writer, and there’s a recurring question about whether he actually even wrote the book. It’s a meta-nod to O'Dowd's own role as the creator and writer of the series.
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Why the Casting Works
The cast of Small Town Big Story succeeds because it doesn't lean too hard on the "clueless locals vs. arrogant city folk" trope.
It feels more nuanced than that.
By casting actors like Clarke Peters (yes, Lester Freamon from The Wire!) as Chet Donald, the show signals that it has higher ambitions than a standard sitcom. It wants to be a "dark comedy drama," and having a cast that can handle both the slapstick of a missing "mystery llama" and the pathos of a 20-year-old trauma is key.
Real Talk: Where to Watch and What to Expect
The series is a Sky Original, so in the UK and Ireland, you’re looking at Sky Atlantic or NOW. It’s six episodes, which is the sweet spot for a binge-watch.
If you’re coming for the Mad Men nostalgia, you’ll stay for the weird Irish folklore and the mystery of what actually happened on the Millennium Eve. The chemistry between Hendricks and Considine is the real draw, but the ensemble of Drumbán locals is what makes the world feel real.
Your next steps for Drumbán:
If you've finished the series and are looking for more of that specific "Irish town with a secret" vibe, check out Moone Boy (also by Chris O'Dowd) for the comedy side, or Bodkin on Netflix if you want something a bit more thriller-adjacent. You can also follow the main cast members on social media, as several of them shared behind-the-scenes looks at the filming in the West of Ireland, which looked as rainy and beautiful as you'd expect.