The Rookes of Vicar’s Hill

4 x 30 min HD documentary series for BBC Northern Ireland

A Tile Films / Straight Forward Co-Production 

This real life, personal documentary series follows the venerable Dean Patrick Rooke over 12 months as he comes to terms with the weighty responsibilities inherent in his new role as the Dean of Armagh. With unrivalled access to his personal and professional life, a life lived at the very heart of the Church of Ireland, the series represents an extraordinary opportunity for viewers to come to a deeper understanding of the inner workings and broad purpose and ambition of the Church of Ireland.

Episode 1

Dean Patrick Rooke says farewell to his old Parish in Portstewart and has to come to terms with diminishing congregations in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, as well bearing the responsibility of having to maintain some very old and historic buildings.

Episode 2

Patrick gets to grips with the relatively lonely reality of managing a Cathedral without a parish of its own, while his wife Alison manages the move into the newly restored 230 year old Deanery atop Vicar’s Hill in Armagh. Accepted traditions are being challenged as the Dean works to make the Cathedral more accessible to broader public.

Episode 3

Faced with an increasingly secularised society and latent sectarianism within the Church of Ireland itself, Patrick is at the heart of a new enterprise which asks, is Church working, and what can be done to make it more relevant? As Archbishop Robin Eames nears retirement after 20 years at the helm, the new Dean must make arrangements for the farewell ceremonies.

Episode 4

A year into the job Dean Rooke’s efforts to revitalise the ancient Cathedral are finally beginning to bear fruit. He and his wife Alison look back at their 30 years together. The new Primate of All-Ireland, Archbishop Alan Harper, is enthroned, an historic event with guests including the Duke of Edinburgh, Irish President Mary McAleese and Sinn Fein politicans. The series ends amid a mood of peace and reconcillation.

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