Simon Harris meets Tim Burton as filming on Netflix hit Wednesday starts

Taoiseach Simon Harris had a sneak peak into the making of the Netflix hit show Wednesday, when he visited Ashford Studios in Co Wicklow to meet the acclaimed movie director Tim Burton.

News that Season 2 of the supernatural comedy-horror, which is based around the Wednesday Addams of the infamous Addams Family, would be filmed on Irish shores – with Wicklow tipped as the base – was greeted with much jubilation when it broke late last year.

Season 1 of the show – Netflix's most successful English-language series – starring Jenna Ortega was filmed in Romania, and many of its locations went on to become major tourist attractions in that country.

Remarking on the boon for Ashford Studios in his native county, the Taoiseach said he was “delighted to be on set of Wednesday’s Season 2 production”, where he met all the creative individuals working on the huge project last week.

“As a TD for Wicklow I am thrilled to see that Ashford Studios continues to bring in more and more investment to County Wicklow,” he added. “Locally based businesses have benefited from the increased activity in creative film and show production in Wicklow. It was a pleasure to meet acclaimed film director Tim Burto,n who is known for his incredible creative vision and distinctive storytelling.

This was the Taoiseach's second visit, and he added: “Once again I witnessed the strength of Irish production filming in Ireland. As Taoiseach I want to see the level of investment in the creative industry continue to grow and I want Ireland to remain an attractive hub for this type of in-studio production.

“The Government has seen tax incentives as a powerful growth tool for the creative and production sector. In the 2023 Budget Section 481’s eligible expenditure had been increased to €125 million which attracted more business to Ireland and was welcomed by the industry.

“I want to see us continue attract largescale international productions to Ireland which benefits our talented pool of people here in Ireland to seek a career in the business and also stimulates local economies. I want to thank all in Ashford studios who welcomed me to their set today and wish them the best while in production. I look forward to seeing the result,” he concluded.

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan's exclusive take on the day's news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.