'Riviera'

15 Jul 20171

It launched last month, the most popular premiere on Sky Atlantic this year. 
It's a ten-part thriller set in the dazzling playgrounds of the super-rich in the South of France.
It stars Julia Stiles, best known for the Bourne series.
And it's what Paul McGuinness did next... after stepping down, in 2013, following 35 years as manager of U2.

Paul, who was in the film business before he was in the rock business, has spent a lot of time on the Riviera over the last two decades and his original idea for the new series was sparked by the stunning backdrops of towns like Nice, Cannes and  Antibes dotted along the French south coast.
"It's extraordinary," he says. "You can point a camera in any direction and you'll find something that looks fantastic." 
But making a hit TV drama is different to making a hit with a rock'n'roll band.
"It's like rock ‘n' roll but different," he explains. "The buzz of producing a television drama is not the same as the buzz I used to get watching U2 play to massive audiences every night.
"The logic of a rock ‘n' roll tour is that everything that happens during the day is resolved by the performance. When the show is finished you move on. 
"It's visceral and instantly satisfying. Making television drama is a much slower burn.

"A different thrill from seeing Bono and the boys up on stage. But a thrill nevertheless."

Comments
1
You must be a logged-in member to add comments.
lassche
Paul Mc. Quiness: U2&WE?
The camera can't see. .. ... ....
Newer comments    1 - 1 of 1    Older comments

RECENT NEWS

12 Dec, 2025

In the US? Tune in to Edge's conversation with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala for U2X Radio.

12 Dec, 2025

'An interrogation and a challenge... and a pretty good title for a murder mystery'. A U2 playlist from film composer Nathan Johnson.

28 Nov, 2025

In Ireland or the UK? Adam features in a new Sky Arts series Greatest Basslines, beginning tonight.

27 Nov, 2025

In North America? Tune in to U2 X-Radio on Sirius XM to catch Bono and Edge performing as U2 receive the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize.

Related Topic