Julia Roberts to narrate BBC adaptation of Irish novel Leonard and Hungry Paul
Julia Roberts during filming for the Graham Norton Show (Ian West/PA)
Hollywood star Julia Roberts will narrate a new BBC series, the broadcaster has announced.
Roberts, 57, who is best known for starring in , and the Oscar-award winning biopic , has joined the cast for the six-part comedy drama series, .
The series is based on Ronan Hession’s best-selling novel of the same name and will star actor Alex Lawther, ’s Laurie Kynaston and star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell.
Produced for BBC Northern Ireland by the Irish production company Subotica, will be available to watch later this autumn on BBC One Northern Ireland, BBC Two and iPlayer.
The show follows two board-gaming friends in their 30s, Leonard, played by Lawther, and Hungry Paul, played by Kynaston, whose quiet and ordinary lives are disrupted by an unexpected death, family wedding and tentative new romance.
Tristan Orpen Lynch, executive producer for Subotica said: “It is truly wonderful to have the amazingly talented Julia Roberts join the production, we had heard she was a big fan of Ronan’s beautiful book and she brings a real warmth and genuine compassionate understanding to this important role which guides us through the unique world and special characters.”
has been adapted for television by writers Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson and is directed by Andrew Chaplin.
Eddie Doyle, senior head of content commissioning at BBC Northern Ireland, said: “To have Julia Roberts lend her extraordinary voice and storytelling talent to this series is another ringing endorsement for how special this project is.
“Her narration will add to the magic of this story and we are excited to bring it to audiences very soon.”
The cast is also joined by ’ Helen Behan, actor Lorcan Cranitch and ’s Niamh Branigan.
actor Paul Reid also appears in the series alongside ’s Charlotte McCurry and actor David O’Reilly.
will be available to watch on BBC One Northern Ireland, BBC Two and iPlayer later this year.
