Conversations with Friends: plot, cast and everything you need to know – Time Out

As we all know, the BBCs adaptation ofSally RooneysNormal Peoplewon lockdown. It secureda place in the hearts ofmillions worldwide for youngcouple Marianne and Connell (and Connells chain) and putCounty Sligo on the world map. To follow it up,Hulu and BBC Three have turned to Rooneys debut novel, Conversations with Friends, and another pair of Irish students, Frances and Bobbi, for a coming-of-age story of love, friendship andironicchatsabout atheism.

Expectations, fuelled by the heart-wrenchingturmoil and loved-up euphoriaof Normal People,are high. The audience comes pre-prepared this time, with Hulu hoping Americanviewerswill respond toanotherburst of millennial love and heartache. The cast hasa more American flavour, perhapswith that precise audience in mind,and the presence of Taylor Swifts other half, Joe Alwyn, in a key role that will draw inthe curious. Will it match Normal Peoples 62 million streams? Here are some clues.

All 12 half-hour episodes land in May on BBC Three in the UK, Hulu in the US and RT in Ireland. Expect to be able to stream it on Amazon Prime in Canada, Australia, Africa and New Zealand, and the newly launched HBO Max in other European countries.

A BBC trailer broke in February with the tagline: Prepare to get intimate. Theres a Huluonefor the US, too, and its alot racier than the more demureBeeb version, if youre into that kind of thing.

As any Rooney stan will tell you, the series is adapted from the Irish novelists 2017 debut novel. The voice of a generation label can be an painful one youre forced to speak on behalf of all millennials and will, at some point, be compared with Lena Dunham but Rooneys smart, empathetic, economical prose definitely captures the uncertainty and rootlessness of a generation coming of age in the 2010s. A less comforting book in a lot of way than Normal People, Conversations with Friends should make for emotionally flooring telly.

Like Normal Peoples Marianne and Connell, it follows two Trinity College Dublin students: Frances (Alison Oliver), the narrator, and her American ex-girlfriend-turned-BFF Bobbi (Sasha Lane). The duo perform as a spoken word poetry double-act and fall into the orbit of thirty-something married couple, actor Nick and photographer-writer Melissa (Joe Alwyn and Jemima Kirke), when Melissa agrees to a profile piece. Slowly, and without the knowledge of either of the others, Frances and Nick begin an affair. Its the exact nature of their relationship, and its impact on Francess bond with Bobbi, that Conversations with Friends grapples with over seven months of surreptitious shags, summer holidays and deep soul-searching.

The shows breakout star is Alison Oliver who plays Frances, a student from County Mayo with a judgy mum, an alcoholic dad, and that thirtysomething actor lover. The actress is a graduate of the same Dublin acting school as Normal Peoples Paul Mescal, The Lir Academy. The Daisy Edgar-Jones comparisons will no doubt follow, but unlike the Londoner, Oliver is a first-timer on screen who has mostly stage work to her name until now. Its a heck of a showcase role, alongside more experienced actors like American Honeys Sasha Lane, Girls Jemima Kirke and the shows biggest name, The Favourite actor Joe Alwyn. Co-directing with Leanne Welham (His Dark Materials) is Normal Peoples Lenny Abrahamson. Lennys deep affinity for Sallys writing and talent for finding actors to bring her fictional creations to life played a huge part in bringing Normal People so successfully to screen, says BBC director of drama Piers Wenger. In casting Alison, Sasha, Joe and Jemima, that same flair and instinct is in evidence and we cant wait to see how they will bring Frances, Bobbi, Nick and Melissa to life.

Like Normal Peoples Marianne and Connell (and author Sally Rooney herself), Frances and Bobbi study at Trinity College Dublin and the uni features in early episodes. Much of the shoot took place in Belfast, while the series swaps the books summer holiday destination of Brittany for the sunnier climes of Stari Grad on the Croatian island of Hvar.

Conversations with Friendsis streamingin May.

Where was Normal People filmed? The seriess Irish, Italian and Swedish locations uncovered.Anatomy of a Scandal: everything you need to know about Netflixs must-see thriller.

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Conversations with Friends: plot, cast and everything you need to know - Time Out