Trespasses is Channel 4's newest book-to-screen adaptation

One of the newest period pieces coming to Channel 4 is Louise Kennedy's bestselling novel, Trespasses. It's got forbidden romance, Ireland during The Troubles, and an insanely good cast. What more could you want?

The book tells the story of Cushla, a young woman who lives with her mother in a small town in Belfast. She's a teacher and works at her family's pub. It's at the pub that she meets Michael. He's a lawyer (barrister) who has made his career defending IRA members. Cushla almost immediately falls in love.

But there is a catch. Michael is quite a bit older, a Protestant (very important detail in those days, especially for a Catholic like Cushla), and...married. Cushla continues the affair until one day, the father of one of her students is almost beaten to death. This sets a series of actions into motion that will disrupt Cushla's whole life and make her decide where her values lie.

The book was first published in April 2022 and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction (one of Britain's most prestigious literary awards). The title of the book and the series obviously pertains to religion and how divided Ireland was at the time. It will be interesting to see how they portray it.

Gillian Anderson and Tom Cullen to star in Trespasses

The series will star Gillian Anderson as Cushla's mom, Gina, and Tom Cullen (Downton Abbey) as Michael. Lola Pettigrew (Bloodlands) will play the role of Cushla. Screenwriter Ailbhe Keoghan (Bad Sisters) adapted Kennedy's book for the screen, and the four-part mini-series will be directed by Dawn Shadworth, who most recently directed three episodes of Apple TV+'s Apples Never Fall. The mini-series likely won't air until next year as filming doesn't start until the fall.

Gillian Anderson noted about the book and the script that she was "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."