Paths to Freedom

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Paths to Freedom
Written by
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
(RTÉ)
Release13 November (2000-11-13) –
18 December 2000 (2000-12-18)

Paths to Freedom was a popular

RTÉ Two. The shows stars two characters, Jeremy (Brendan Coyle) and Rats (Michael McElhatton), who have both recently been released from a Dublin prison. The show takes the format of a mockumentary, with a fly-on-the-wall camera crew following the two characters, who are from thoroughly different backgrounds, as they try to reintegrate back into society. There were six episodes of the show produced, the first airing on 13 November 2000, and the final episode airing one month later. The series was followed-up by a movie based on the character Rats, Spin the Bottle
.

Characters

Jeremy

golf handicap by six strokes. The legal costs of defending himself in the case brought by the Ukrainian man that he hit while drink driving are large, and this causes the Fitzgeralds to sell their home in Blackrock to raise funds. Repeatedly, Jeremy disputes the man's claim that he is paralysed, and at one point Jeremy attacks the man in attempt to prove he is lying. At this stage in the series, Jeremy is seriously mentally ill, and he soon takes up home in a tent on the 7th green at the Fitzhatton. The series ends with Jeremy, now separated from his wife Helen (Deirdre O'Kane), in full-time psychiatric care [1]
.

Rats

Raymond "Rats" Doyle, played by

conned out of £400 they had paid to arrange a gig, and eventually having to play this gig in a small gay bar
in Dublin.

Helen Fitzgerald

Helen Fitzgerald, played by

aubergines'. In later episodes, Helen is rarely seen without a glass of white wine
in hand.

Tomo

Tomo, played by Peter McDonald, is Rat's best friend and fellow musician in the band Sperm.com, in which he plays guitar. His long black hair and style of dress identify him as a heavy metal fan; he is seen to wear t-shirts featuring the bands No Sweat and Ministry during the series. He is portrayed as being quite unintelligent – a classic comedy buffoon – and also as being overwhelmed when it comes to contact with the opposite sex.

Barney

Played by Darragh Kelly, Barney (affectionately referred to as "Barnser") is Jeremy's closest companion and golfing partner. He is blindly supportive of Jeremy and fails to see his friend's shortcomings, appearing somewhat of a

side-kick
. Even as the series progresses, and he appears to grow increasingly embarrassed by Jeremy's behaviour, he never overtly speaks out against him.

External links

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