Bill Murray brings his craic to Ireland in new golf road-trip series

Bill Murray is back in Ireland, and this time he is pairing up with family, friends and famous faces for a journey through some of the country’s most breathtaking fairways. The new BBC series "Off Course" will take viewers on an “unpredictable and profoundly funny” road trip across Northern Ireland and the Republic.

This is no ordinary travelogue or golf show. As the BBC describes it, “this 6 × 30-minute series follows Murray and friends across some of the island’s most breath-taking fairways. But this is no ordinary golf show – it’s about life, chance encounters and the joy of going gloriously off course.”

The programme is being produced for BBC Two, BBC One Northern Ireland and iPlayer, with co-production from Stellify Media and Skydance Sports under the newly formed Paramount Sports Entertainment umbrella.

Murray, who is well known for his love of golf, will be joined in the series by his extended family, celebrity friends and longtime golfing companion Tom Coyne. It is inspired in part by Coyne’s bestselling "A Course Called Ireland". As Murray puts it, “I started out caddying, and golf was the best education I ever received. Ireland feels like the right place to put all that to work.” 

He also aims to tap into a uniquely Irish idea: “They’ve got this wonderful word there, ‘craic,’ which means fun, but it means a lot of other things. A lot of good things. And this show will be about us finding it.” 

Eddie Doyle, head of content commissioning for BBC Northern Ireland, praised the project’s promise, saying the series offers “stunning scenery and beautiful golf courses” paired with the “wit and charm of Bill and his friends.”

Catherine Catton, BBC’s head of factual entertainment commissioning, added the show is “full of humour, heart and adventure, set against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful backdrops imaginable – and we can’t wait for audiences to come along for the ride with Bill.”

Journalists in Ireland have already noted Murray’s presence around the country as filming takes place. The Irish News calls "Off Course" “a love letter to both the game and the place that shaped the Murray clan,” while RTE reports that Murray “takes on some of the island’s most iconic golf courses.”

The six episodes will run 30 minutes each, and an official airdate has not yet been announced. Until then, Irish and Irish-American fans alike can look forward to glimpses of their homeland captured through Murray’s playful and unpredictable lens.