Trespasses: First Look At Gillian Anderson In Upcoming Channel 4 Drama

Gillian Anderson is back in Belfast: Channel 4 has revealed brand new images for its upcoming drama Trespasses, a forbidden love story backdropped by the Troubles, starring Lola Petticrew, Tom Cullen and Gillian Anderson. Here’s your first look, plus everything we know about the four-part drama.

Trespasses: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

Directed by BAFTA award-winning Dawn Shadforth, Trespasses is an upcoming four-part drama based on the novel of the same name by Louise Kennedy. As well as starring, Gillian Anderson is an executive producer. ‘I fell in love with Louise’s stunning book when I read it in proof,’ Anderson said when the project was first announced last summer. ‘I was immediately drawn to the tragi-comic creation that is Gina and couldn’t resist when Louise asked me to play her.’

Lola Petticrew as Cushla Lavery & Tom Cullen as Michael Agnew in Trespasses. (Channel 4)

What Will Happen?

Belfast, 1975. Cushla (Petticrew) is a sparky young Catholic woman whose dreams have been dulled by the grind of daily life in a Belfast wracked by the Troubles. Teaching at a parochial school by day and working at the family pub come evening, Cushla is constantly sparring with her mother, Gina (Anderson). But it’s at the pub that Cushla meets Michael (Cullen), a controversial Protestant barrister who’s made a name for himself defending IRA members. His cultured bohemian friends enrage her – but she’s also intrigued. Against her better judgement, Cushla is drawn in by him and his sophisticated world, setting in motion a chain reaction that will threaten everything she wants to protect.

The Trespasses Cast

• Lola Petticrew as Cushla
• Tom Cullen as Michael
• Gillian Anderson as Gina
• Martin McCann
• Oisín Thompson
• Emily Taaffe
• Barry Ward
• Lisa Dwyer Hogg
• Lorcan Cranitch
• Frank Blake
• Gary Lydon
• Lalor Roddy

Irish actor Lola Petticrew leads the series as Cushla, hot on the heels of the star’s leading role in Say Nothing (2024), another drama set during the Troubles in ‘70s Belfast. They’re joined by Welsh star Tom Cullen as Michael, who recently starred opposite Vicky McClure in Paramount’s Insomnia. Their star-crossed romance is grounded by Gillian Anderson who was last seen on TV in 2022’s The First Lady, though recent films include The Salt Path (2024) and Scoop (2024). Anderson returns to Belfast after her 2013–16 hit TV series The Fall, in which she starred opposite Jamie Dornan.

Tom Cullen as Michael Agnew & Lola Petticrew as Cushla Lavery in Trespasses. (Channel 4)

What Is Trespasses Based On?

Trespasses is based on Louise Kennedy’s 2022 novel of the same name, which made it to the shortlist of the 2023 Women’s Prize, ultimately losing out to Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead. The synopsis is as follows:

Set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, a shattering novel about a young woman caught between allegiance to community and a dangerous passion.

Amid daily reports of violence, Cushla lives a quiet life with her mother in a small town near Belfast. By day she teaches at a parochial school; at night she fills in at her family’s pub. There she meets Michael Agnew, a barrister who’s made a name for himself defending IRA members. Against her better judgment – Michael is not only Protestant but older, and married – Cushla lets herself get drawn in by him and his sophisticated world, and an affair ignites. Then the father of a student is savagely beaten, setting in motion a chain reaction that will threaten everything, and everyone, Cushla most wants to protect.

The book was adapted for the screen by Ailbhe Keogan, who has previously worked on Bad Sisters. ‘I am genuinely excited for the world to meet Cushla and Michael on screen,’ Keogan says. ‘The whole scripting process has been remarkably pain-free as the team was guided by their love of Louise’s stunning novel. It remained our creative lodestar throughout. We feel incredibly grateful to have been gifted the chance to bring the world within it to life, especially the unforgettable characters that populate Cushla and Michael’s Belfast. This show will be political, cinematic, sensual, moving, and, despite the heartbreak, ultimately hopeful.’

‘Watching Amanda Posey [executive producer] and the team develop Trespasses for television has been an utter joy,’ Kennedy adds. ‘From Ailbhe Keogan’s ear-perfect, sexy script to director Dawn Shadforth’s gorgeously melancholic aesthetic vision, exceptional care has been taken to bring an authentic and beautiful version of my book to the small screen. I honestly could not have asked for more.’

Where Was It Filmed?

Trespasses was filmed in Belfast at the end of 2024.

Release Date

Trespasses will launch on Channel 4 later this year. Stay tuned for more. channel4.com