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.
When Emerald Fennell texted @alisonjoliver about joining WUTHERING HEIGHTS, the answer was immediate: yes.
"I just love her so much that I would do anything she was doing," Oliver says about reuniting with Fennell after SALTBURN.
The film is now in theatres, more at irishfilmtv.com.
Barry Keoghan has arrived.
The Dublin actor who made us unable to look away in SALTBURN is now going head-to-head with Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry in CRIME 101 — and he`s not just keeping up, he`s stealing scenes.
This isn`t just another role—this is Keoghan proving he belongs among Hollywood`s heaviest hitters, taking his Love/Hate juice straight to LA and reminding everyone that sometimes the hungriest actor in the room is the most dangerous one.
More Barry at irishfilmtv.com.
One man. Eight characters. Pure theatrical magic. ✨
Andrew Scott`s VANYA won Best Play Revival at the WhatsOnStage Awards after its triumphant West End run at the Duke of York`s Theatre and now tops the list of best one-man shows of recent times.
More Andrew at irishfilmtv.com.
HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST drops Feb 12 on Netflix.
DERRY GIRLS star Saoirse Monica Jackson has been talking about the new series and her excitement is absolutely contagious.
Landing on Galentine`s Day feels perfect for this kind of ladies-celebrating-ladies energy.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Jamie Dornan is about to make you forget every role you thought defined him.
THE WORST, a pitch-black British comedy, casts him as Danny, a talent agent so pathologically addicted to self-promotion that he can`t stop name-dropping even as the dinner party around him combusts into spectacular social carnage.
More Jamie at irishfilmtv.com.
The awards season darling you`ve been hearing about is finally streaming.
Chloé Zhao`s HAMNET—the haunting exploration of grief, love, and the creation of Shakespeare`s HAMLET—brings together Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley in performances that have kept both firmly in the Oscar conversation.
If you missed it theatrically, now`s your chance to see what the buzz is about before Oscar night. This is the kind of film that reminds you why cinema matters.
More HAMNET at irishfilmtv.com.
Taylor Swift just dropped the OPALITE music video and it`s giving major Irish vibes ☘️✨
The nearly 6-minute visual sees Domhnall Gleeson starring as Taylor`s love interest, playing two lonely souls who find each other. But here`s where it gets even better: eagle-eyed Swifties spotted cameos from Cillian Murphy and Graham Norton, making this a full-on Irish affair.
Want the full breakdown of this transatlantic collaboration? Head to our blog for all the details on how this stunning video came together. Link in bio! 🔗
The creator of DERRY GIRLS just dropped a murder mystery set at an Irish wake, and honestly? It`s the genre mashup we didn`t know we needed 🕵️♀️
Lisa McGee is back with HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST on Netflix, and if you loved how she found humor in the Troubles (Protestants! Toasters! Cupboards!), you`re going to eat this up.
Three friends reunite for their childhood bestie`s funeral, only to realize her death isn`t what it seems. Cue an eerie adventure across Ireland that`s equal parts creepy and hilarious.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
British Vogue just put Jessie Buckley on their February cover and it`s not just a magazine shoot—it`s a coronation.
Shot by Jack Davison on the windswept Norfolk coast near her home, these images are pure cinema. Sky, sea, and a woman at the exact moment her entire life is about to change.
She`s the frontrunner for Best Actress. HAMNET is destroying audiences. She`s a new mother standing at the edge of the kind of fame that alters everything.
And Vogue captured it all—the grit, the greatness, the quiet mastery that got her here.
More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.
