Who would Begrudge them this win?

Damian McCarney Having won RTE's Storlyand 4 competition, the writer who created The Begrudgers hopes they can go on to create a full TV sitcom. "Hopefully winning Storyland is just the start of The Begrugers and Nobby and Snout and the whole cast and crew - it would be brilliant to move on from this. But at the moment we are just thrilled," Philip Doherty told the Celt. He was speaking just an hour after hearing they had won the competition which served as a launch pad for such talents as David McSavage and The Hardy Bucks. Voting finished on Bank Holiday Monday and the Cavan based group were told they had won on Tuesday morning. Buoyed by this success they hope to meet with RTE executives in the future to formally pitch an idea and explain the endless possibilities for the series to develop. That's all for the future however, at the moment, everyone is sharing in the Storyland success: "facebook is buzzing," says Philip, "my phone's hopping, we're all so excited - it's just great!" For the few who have yet to enjoy The Begrudgers, the hilarious comedy features two grouches played by Shane Carroll (Nobby) and Ray Fitzsimons (Snout) grimly spouting obscenities at the world to mask the fact they are marinading in their own short comings and fears. Nevertheless they are sympathetic enough for viewers to care that their highly fraught friendship is crumbling when their world - the local pub - is turned upside down. The Begrudgers' success in Storyland was all the more impressive since their original episode four had to be canned due to a contractual wrangle with Bus Eireann, whose vehicle featured in the show. "It was one of those things," said Philip, "we were knocked down but we got up as quickly as we could and it paid off. Everything happens for a reason you just have to carry on." A promo music video was used instead - and clearly their plan B was good enough to gain the most votes. To see the video log onto www.rte.ie/storyland In the mean time here's is some behind the scenes footage:

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