The adaptation of Co Down author Louise Kennedy’s bestselling novel has arrived as one of 2025’s most anticipated television events, bringing together the filmmaking team behind BROOKLYN and AN EDUCATION to craft a forbidden romance set against the violent backdrop of Northern Ireland’s Troubles.
The four-part drama TRESPASSES, which completed filming in Belfast this past December, tells the story of Cushla, a young Catholic schoolteacher worn down by the monotony of her daily existence in a small town outside Belfast, who finds herself drawn into a dangerous affair with Michael, an older Protestant barrister she meets while working shifts at her family’s pub.
Lola Petticrew, who previously appeared in SAY NOTHING, brings intensity to the role of Cushla, while Tom Cullen of MY SON portrays her conflicted lover, with the cast rounded out by Barry Ward from BAD SISTERS and Lisa Dwyer Hogg of THE FALL. Gillian Anderson, serving as executive producer while also appearing onscreen as Cushla’s perpetually combative mother described as a “glorious wreck,” has helped shepherd this passion project to completion.
Screenwriter Ailbhe Keogan, earning her first lead writing credit after contributing to BAD SISTERS and RUN & JUMP, adapted Kennedy’s debut novel, which earned a Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisting, with the author herself praising both Keogan’s “ear-perfect, sexy script” and director Dawn Shadforth’s “gorgeously melancholic aesthetic vision” for bringing an authentic version of her work to television.
Channel 4 describes the series as a forbidden love story unfolding amid the sectarian violence that defined the era, and Keogan promises viewers a narrative that manages to be political, cinematic, sensual, and moving while maintaining hope despite the heartbreak woven throughout. The production represents a deeply personal triumph for Kennedy, who expressed gratitude that exceptional care was taken to honor the world and characters she created, particularly the unforgettable inhabitants of Cushla and Michael’s Belfast.
TRESPASSES premieres Sunday night on Channel 4 at 9pm, offering audiences a richly textured portrait of desire and danger in a divided society.
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