The Element Pictures adaptation of Sally Rooney’s acclaimed novel.
The highly-anticipated 12-part relationship drama stars Kildare newcomer 24-year-old Paul Mescal in his first television role as Connell, and British actress Daisy Edgar Jones (War of the Worlds, Cold Feet) in the role of Marianne. The series follows two young people navigating adulthood in contemporary Ireland, and their complicated relationship from the end of their school days in Sligo to their undergraduate years at Trinity College. It also stars Sarah Greene (Dublin Murders, Rosie) and Aislín McGuckin (Outlander). Sally Rooney adapted her coming-of-age book with Alice Birch along with Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe. Normal People has been directed by the Oscar-nominated film-maker Lenny Abrahamson and the English director Hettie Macdonald. The series was filmed in Dublin, Sligo, Sweden and Italy.
Normal People
is an Element Pictures production for BBC Three and Hulu in association
with Screen Ireland. The series
is executive produced by Ed Guiney (The Favourite, Room, Dublin
Murders), Andrew Lowe (The Favourite, Room, The Lobster), Emma Norton
(Rosie, A Date For Mad Mary) and Anna Ferguson (No Offence, Prisoners’
Wives) for Element Pictures. Sally Rooney and Lenny
Abrahamson also serve as executive producers, as well as Tommy Bulfin
and Rose Garnett for the BBC. Catherine Magee (Resistance, Rebellion,
Prosperity) is the producer of the series.
The first two episodes air as a double bill.
EPISODE ONE In a school in small-town west of Ireland, Connell (Paul Mescal) is a well-liked, good looking and athletic student. Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a proud,intimidating and unpopular loner who actively avoids her classmates and questions her teachers’ authority. An attraction sparks between them when Connell comes to collect his mother Lorraine (Sarah Greene) who works at Marianne’s house. A deep connection grows between the two teenagers –one they cannot stop but that they are determined to conceal from their peers.
EPISODE TWO Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne’s (Daisy Edgar-Jones) relationship continues in secret and they sleep together for the first time. At school, Connell makes excuses for why he didn’t see his friends at the weekend and evades questions on his mother’s job at Marianne’s house. A girl in his friendship group, Rachel (Leah McNamara), gets impatient with Connell’s lack of interest and tensions build for Connell. Meanwhile, Marianne must find a way to explain her unplanned absences to her prying brother Alan (Frank Blake)