The stars of the BBC’s new Northern Ireland comedy sketch Dry Your Eyes hope their hilarious antics will light up the gloomy winter New Years nights.

Produced by the Hole in the Wall Gang, Dry Your Eyes features a promising cast of actors and writers fresh on our TV screens.

It’s been 15 years since the Hole in the Wall Gang first brought some of their iconic characters to the small screen with the original version of the show.

Bernadette Brown from North Belfast and Niamh McAllister from Bangor are two such new faces aimed at helping viewers beat the January blues by relaxing and enjoying a laugh or two.

New on-screen lineup also features Michael Stranney, Diona Doherty, and Cailum Carragher, who offer viewers a bundle of freshly made creations and take on modern life in their own way, all while speaking with our unique local voice.

Their special new group of characters includes:

Get the peelers! A man who is obsessed with “getting the peelers” for some trivial reason.

Sorry this is my first day: a woman who tries too hard and only lasts the first day in every job.

Angry Tour Guide: A ‘in trouble’ tour guide who is insulted by any perceived criticism of his beloved Northern Ireland.

Supermarket Loyalty Girl: The needy cashier who is heartbroken if she thinks the store’s loyalty card is “rejected” by a customer.

Northern Line of Duty: Not based on someone we know, but he’s a cop who works in England and can still get a confession with his incomprehensible “Northern Irish Speak”!

Niamh, 25, graduated with a BA in Performance from the Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin and has several credits in theater and television to her credit.

Prior to attending the Lir, Niamh trained at Lyric Drama Studio and is also a trained singer in classical and musical theater styles.

In addition to appearing on the show, Niamh also wrote some of the skits.

“The lockdown made me write, which I never thought I would, so it definitely had its benefits,” she said.

“Getting a BBC writing credit is pretty cool and I’m very proud of it, although seeing a team of 60 people working on a skit I wrote was a little weird.

“It was about writing the sketches and trying to figure out how those ideas could be locked out. I found that sometimes having those kinds of limitations means you have to think outside the box a little bit more. “said Niamh.

“I am also very grateful to the Hole in the Wall Gang for taking us under their wing. They are such a lovely team that it was a great way to start my career in television.”

This time, the Hole in the Wall Gang works behind the camera, mentoring young writers and actors.

In the director’s chair is Michael McDowell, who also directs Give My Head Peace and plays Billy the Cop. Veteran comedian and Blame Game presenter Tim McGarry is an executive producer.

Meanwhile, Bernadette, 38, of Irish-German descent, has nearly 20 years of television and theater experience.

She started performing in her early teens with a local community theater company, appearing in several of their productions. She then studied drama at Queen’s University before turning professional.

“It’s such an honor to work with the Hole in the Wall Gang because I’ve watched them for years,” she said.

“Shooting during Covid-19 was a challenge but the team made us feel completely safe. Considering that over the past two years we haven’t been able to be too creative, it makes you even more grateful for to have had the opportunity to film under the circumstances, ”added Bernadette.

Producer Damon Quinn said, “We wanted to do something new with it. So we held open auditions and selected the best performers and writers we could find.

“It was very exciting and fun to do and we hope viewers enjoy it.

“In fact, we were able to choose actors from five of the six counties including Antrim, Armagh, Derry / Londonderry, Down and Fermanagh. I just hope Tyrone doesn’t blame us!

Dry Your Eyes will air on Monday January 10 on BBC One Northern Ireland at 10:35 p.m. and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.