| Trespasses | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Based on | Trespasses by Louise Kennedy |
| Screenplay by | Ailbhe Keogan |
| Directed by | Dawn Shadforth |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Maria Mulhall |
| Production company | Wildgaze Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 9 November – 12 November 2025 |
Trespasses is a Northern Irish drama television series made for Channel 4 and starring Lola Petticrew, Tom Cullen and Gillian Anderson. It is based on the novel of the same name by Louise Kennedy and set in the 1970s in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
Cushla Lavery, a catholic schoolteacher and part-time barmaid in her brother Eamonn's pub, begins an affair with a womanising, older, married, protestant barrister, Michael Agnew, in 1970s Belfast. [1] She lives with her mother Gina, a widow and alcoholic. She has a platonic relationship with her teacher colleague Gerry Harkin.
One of Cushla's pupils is the son of a protestant mother and a catholic father, who is badly beaten for marrying outside his religion.
Agnew defends catholic youths who are accused of terrorism-related crimes.
The series was commissioned by Channel 4 in August 2024. It is produced by Wildgaze Films and adapted by Ailbhe Keogan from the Louise Kennedy 2022 novel Trespasses . [2] The series is produced by Maria Mulhall, and directed by Dawn Shadforth who is also an executive producer. Amanda Posey is an executive producer for Wildgaze Films, as is Finnola Dwyer, Kennedy, and Gillian Anderson, who also has a starring role. [3]
As well as Anderson, the cast includes Tom Cullen, Martin McCann, Gerard McCarthy and Lola Petticrew. [4] [5]
Filming took place in Finaghy, Ballymena and Holywood, County Down in November 2024. [6] [7]
The series began broadcasting on Channel 4 on 9 November 2025. [8]
Trespasses was well-received by a number of critics. In The Independent, Nick Hilton praised Lola Petticrew's performance as 'captivating'. [9] In The Guardian, Jack Seale described Petticrew as making "the tension between Cushla’s energy and cold reality at first rousing, then heartbreaking." [10] Another writer in The Guardian, Rhik Samadder, described the series as "a handsome drama, full of painful beauty," and highlighted Gillian Anderson's portrayal of Cushla's mother, Gina, as inhabiting the role. [11] Likewise, Michael Hogan in the Evening Standard described Anderson's characterisation as "heartbreaking" and drew attention to Petticrew's "luminous talent". [12]
