Channel 4 has commissioned the four-part series Trespasses, in association with All3Media International…
Adapted for the screen in her first lead writing credit by rising talent Ailbhe Keogan and based on Louise Kennedy’s breakout debut novel, which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Trespasses (Bloomsbury Publishing) is a forbidden love story, set against the backdrop of the Troubles.
Ailbhe Keogan, Screenwriter:
“I am genuinely excited for the world to meet Cushla and Michael on screen. The whole scripting process has been remarkably pain-free as the team was guided by their love of Louise’s stunning novel. It remained our creative lodestar throughout. We feel incredibly grateful to have been gifted the chance to bring the world within it to life, especially the unforgettable characters that populate Cushla and Michael’s Belfast. This show will be political, cinematic, sensual, moving, and, despite the heartbreak, ultimately hopeful.”
Directed by BAFTA award-winning Dawn Shadforth (Mood, Adult Behaviour), Lola Petticrew (Bloodlands, Tuesday) will play Cushla, a sparky young woman whose hopes and dreams have been frustrated by the grind of daily life. Tom Cullen (The Gold, Weekend) will play Michael, a barrister, alongside Gillian Anderson (Scoop, Sex Education) as Gina, Cushla’s mother, a ‘glorious wreck’ who is constantly sparring with her daughter.
1975, in a town outside Belfast. Whilst working one night behind the bar of her family pub, serving a mixed crowd including the locally stationed soldiers, Catholic schoolteacher Cushla meets Michael, an older Protestant married man, who often defends IRA suspects and is friends with cultured Bohemians who enrage and intrigue Cushla. Worlds apart, Cushla knows a relationship like this spells all kinds of trouble, but they are irresistibly drawn to one another.
In a place where loose lips cost lives and danger lurks in the shadows, amidst the fear and paranoia, this illicit affair between Cushla and Michael ignites and burns bright…
Gillian Anderson, Executive Producer:
“I fell in love with Louise’s stunning book when I read it in proof. I was immediately drawn to the tragi-comic creation that is Gina and couldn’t resist when Louise asked me to play her. Reading Ailbhe’s brilliant scripts confirmed how vividly this story could translate to screen and with Dawn at the helm and Lola and Tom alongside, I’m delighted to be part of the Trespasses family.”
