It had all the hallmarks of a terrorist siege – but onlookers were relieved to find the ceasefires hadn't crumbled.

Instead, it was the stunningly authentic set for BBC One's new flagship comedy drama.

Desperados, by William Ivory, is being shot around the Ards Peninsula and Bangor and is among a clutch of BBC dramas recently filmed in Northern Ireland – including Fairytales and Messiah.

When one elderly resident saw "armed officers" swarming around the shorefront at Portaferry, she said: "My heart started going a dinger. I had palpitations, I thought it was the real thing."

The show stars Warren Clarke, best-known for his role in Dalziel and Pascoe, and Anthony Head of Little Britain and Buffy fame, and also features Dean Lennox Kelly and Jenny Agutter.

Clarke plays Syd Woolsey who, with his old friend Maurice Riley (Head), returns from the good life on the Costa del Crime having spent their ill-gotten gains, to a quiet Devon fishing village where they plan to eke out their retirement fishing and availing themselves of the NHS.

But the quiet life is not for them and, with cash running short, they are quickly drawn back into a life of crime – only to find the underworld has moved on and they've got a lot to learn.

Paul Barber (Only Fools and Horses' Denzil) also appears as the duo's ex-partner, with whom they pulled off some of the most audacious heists in Britain.

Produced by Company Pictures (Elizabeth I, Shameless), Desperados is being filmed in the Province with the support of Northern Ireland Screen.

Chief executive of NIS, Richard Williams, has hailed the production as "further vindication" that the group's strategy to draw filmmakers to Ulster was paying off.

He added: "We are delighted to welcome Company Pictures and their remarkable cast. Northern Ireland's television production sector is on the rise and we will continue to lobby for even more productions."

Dozens of residents gathered at the end of last month to watch Portaferry's seafront transformed into the scene of a hostage siege.

A production crew bellowing through megaphones swept into the area as massive spotlights, generators and satellite dishes were rigged up.

The Narrows pub got a new sign and was renamed The Hougoumont – and several locals were lucky enough to be plucked out of the crowd and cast as extras.

They got to rub shoulders with Clarke, who has played opposite Jack Palance, starred in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, and been directed by Clint Eastwood.

However, the extras were tight-lipped over plot secrets.
One of the locals would only say – it was an explosion drama, and: "A terrorist was holding hostages in a house, but let one out onto the street because he had appendicitis."

But not everyone was as excited to see the new signage and porch erected at The Narrows.

It is believed the Planning Office received objections from locals who said they had not seen notices proposing the alterations – not realising they weren't permanent fixtures.

Desperados' creator William Ivory said: "It's a dream of a cast.

Desperados is an ensemble piece which means every character relies on the one next to them to give full value in terms of what the script is trying to achieve.

"That means, in an ideal world, you're looking to fill every role with a heavy hitter – but in truth you seldom achieve that. This time, I think we have."