BBC Northern Ireland's new adaptation hailed as "exquisite" boasts a "top tier cast" – here's what to know
The six-part comedy, based on Rónán Hession's 2021 novel of the same name, follows two "unique" friends as they "meander" through their "leafy suburban lives", charting a story about "Judo, ancient Rome, first loves, and the expansion of the Universe."
The series, which recently commenced filming in Dublin, boasts a "top tier" cast including Derry Girls' Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, The End of the F***ing World's Alex Lawther and Fool Me Once star Laurie Kynaston.
Hession's novel, which was dubbed "exquisite" by a reviewer on Amazon, will be adapted by Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson, with Andrew Chaplin - best known for Alma's Not Normal and Smoggie Queens - on directing duties.
"I am delighted to see Leonard and Hungry Paul being adapted for the screen," said Hession of the series. "It's a real privilege as a writer to see my work being brought to life in a different creative form."
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"At a time when most shows involve dragons, detectives, or existential dread, Leonard and Hungry Paul takes a slower route - through kindness, the quiet gravity of small things, and the occasional game of backgammon," added Chaplin. "Proof that not all heroes shout - some just know when to stay quiet."
Eddie Doyle, Senior Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland, also shared a statement, saying: 'This series promises something special and is full of charm and poignant moments that encapsulate ordinary life. With a stellar cast bringing this acclaimed novel to the screen, it will make an exciting addition to BBC Northern Ireland's offering this year."
"Leonard and Hungry Paul is the story of two friends who ordinarily would remain uncelebrated," reads the logline for the novel. "It finds a value and specialness in them that is not immediately apparent and prompts the idea that maybe we could learn from the people that we overlook in life.
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"Leonard and Hungry Paul change the world differently to the rest of us: we try and change it by effort and force; they change it by discovering the small things they can do well and offering them to others."
In addition to being called "exquisite" by one reader, Leonard and Hungry Paul was similarly lauded by others for its feel-good nature, with one user describing the novel as a "pleasant, diverting read" which was "suffused with gentle good humour and likeable characters".
Leonard and Hungry Paul currently has no release date.
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Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Main Sequence Studios Launches Season 1 of EAST
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New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
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Week 1 (Aug. 30) Syracuse vs. Tennessee, noon (neutral site) Alabama @ Florida State, 3:30 p.m. LSU @ Clemson, 7:30 p.m. Week 2 (Sept. 6) San Jose State @ Texas, noon (ABC or ESPN) Ole Miss @ Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. Michigan @ Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. Week 3 (Sept. 13) Wisconsin @ Alabama, noon (ABC or ESPN) Georgia @ Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. Florida @ LSU, 7:30 p.m. Week 5 (Sept. 27) Notre Dame @ Arkansas, noon Alabama @ Georgia, 7:30 p.m. Week 6 (Oct. 4) Kentucky @ Georgia, noon (ABC or ESPN) Week 7 (Oct. 11) Alabama @ Missouri, noon (ABC or ESPN) Oklahoma vs. Texas, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site, ABC or ESPN) Week 10 (Nov. 1) Vanderbilt @ Texas, noon (ABC or ESPN) Georgia vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site) Week 11 (Nov. 8) Georgia @ Mississippi State, noon (ABC or ESPN) Week 13 (Nov. 22) Missouri @ Oklahoma, noon (ABC or ESPN) Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Black Friday: Ole Miss @ Mississippi State, noon (ABC or ESPN) Black Friday: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site) Black Friday: Texas A&M @ Texas, 7:30 p.m. Clemson @ South Carolina, noon (ABC or ESPN) What you'll need to watch: Fox, CBS, NBC, Big Ten Network So, CBS' friendship ended with the SEC. 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Peacock has listed four of those so far, including Western Illinois at Illinois in Week 1. Here's what the Big Ten network schedule looks like so far: Week 1 (Aug. 28-30) Thursday: Nebraska vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site; designated home team is Big 12) Texas @ Ohio State, noon on Fox Nevada @ Penn State, 3:30 p.m. on CBS New Mexico @ Michigan, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Utah @ UCLA, 11 p.m. on Fox Week 2 (Sept. 6) Iowa @ Iowa State, noon on Fox Illinois @ Duke, noon on ABC or ESPN (home team is ACC) Oklahoma State @ Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS Boston College @ Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Michigan @ Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC (home team is SEC) Advertisement Week 3 (Sept. 13) Oregon @ Northwestern, noon on Fox Wisconsin @ Alabama, noon on ABC or ESPN (home team is SEC) USC @ Purdue, 3:30 p.m. on CBS Minnesota @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN (home team is ACC) Week 4 (Sept. 19-20) Friday: Iowa @ Rutgers, 8 p.m. on Fox Purdue @ Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. on NBC Michigan @ Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. on CBS Washington @ Washington State, 7:30 p.m. on CBS Week 5 (Sept. 27) Oregon @ Penn State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Week 8 (Oct. 17-18) Friday: Nebraska @ Minnesota, 8 p.m. on Fox USC @ Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Week 11 (Nov. 7-8) Friday: Northwestern @ USC, 9 p.m. on Fox Week 12 (Nov. 14-15) Friday: Minnesota @ Oregon, 9 p.m. on Fox Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Black Friday: Iowa @ Nebraska, noon on CBS Black Friday: Indiana @ Purdue, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Ohio State @ Michigan, noon on Fox What you'll need to watch: ABC, ACC Network, ESPN, The CW The ACC's television setup is similar to the SEC's — four giant red letters stamped atop it. ABC-ESPN for the prime-time games, ACC Network for the others. Yes, ESPN is the parent company here. This year's ACC schedule includes its annual Labor Day Monday (TCU at North Carolina) and 12 Friday games, the most of any conference. Wes Durham does play-by-play for both ACCN and ESPN, anchoring the latter's 'ACC Primetime Football' block. He used to call Georgia Tech games on the radio, and his father Woody was the 'Voice of the Tar Heels.' Durham is flanked by Tom Luginbill and Dana Boyle. ACC Network overflow goes to ACC Network Extra, the digital-only alternate channel. Again, because it's a jumble: You can watch ACC Network/ACCNX with ESPN DTC, or on ESPN's app by using cable/streaming provider credentials. And then there's The CW. Against all odds, yeah … that The CW. The Saturday ACC call over there is Thom Brennaman. Against all odds, yup … that Thom Brennaman. Will Blackmon, Boston College alum, joins for analysis. Advertisement Here's the ACC's schedule for national TV and ESPN: 'Week 0' (Aug. 23) Stanford @ Hawaii, 7:30 p.m. on CBS (home team is Mountain West) Week 1 (Aug. 29-Sept. 1) Friday: Georgia Tech @ Colorado, 8 p.m. on ESPN Syracuse vs. Tennessee, noon on ABC (neutral site) Alabama @ Florida State, 3:30 p.m. on ABC LSU @ Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ABC California @ Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Sunday: Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina, 3 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site) Sunday: Notre Dame @ Miami, 7:30 p.m. on ABC Monday (Labor Day): TCU @ North Carolina, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 2 (Sept. 6) Illinois @ Duke, noon on ABC or ESPN Baylor at SMU, noon on The CW Boston College @ Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC (home team is Big Ten) Stanford @ BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN Week 3 (Sept. 11-13) Thursday: NC State @ Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Clemson @ Georgia Tech, noon on ABC or ESPN Pitt @ West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN South Florida @ Miami, 4:30 p.m. on The CW Minnesota @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 5 (Sept. 26-27) Friday: Florida State @ Virginia, 7 p.m. on ESPN Week 7 (Oct. 11) Wake Forest @ Oregon State, 3:30 p.m. on The CW Week 8 (Oct. 17-18) Friday: Louisville @ Miami, 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2 Friday: North Carolina @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Washington State @ Virginia, 6:30 p.m. on The CW Florida State @ Stanford, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 9 (Oct. 24-25) Friday: California @ Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 10 (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) Friday (Halloween): North Carolina @ Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 12 (Nov. 14-15) Friday: Clemson @ Louisville, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 13 (Nov. 21-22) Friday: Florida State @ NC State, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Black Friday: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. on ABC (neutral site) Clemson @ South Carolina, noon on ABC or ESPN What you'll need to watch ABC, ESPN, Fox, TNT Like the Big Ten, the Big 12 splits its games across three national TV partners. ESPN is omnipresent at this point, and Fox has been a broadcast partner since its 2012 media rights agreement. Of note here is TNT, which picks up 13 of the conference's best games. The network even has two first-round CFP games this winter (sublicensed from ESPN, why not?). Bring back 'Super Football Saturday Night' presentation next. Advertisement J.B. Long and Mike Golic Jr. are TNT's official Big 12 pairing, after working together last year on Mountain West football. Long has also been with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams since 2016; Golic is a Notre Dame guy. 'Week 0,' which still very much sounds like a failed sci-fi pilot, has the Big 12 exporting to Ireland. The Cyclones and Jayhawks open the 'Aer Lingus College Football Classic' on ESPN. This is what we know about the Big 12's opening weeks on national TV, ESPN and TNT. Most other games are on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, FS1 or FS2. 'Week 0' (Aug. 23) Iowa State vs. Kansas State, noon on ESPN (neutral site) Fresno State @ Kansas, 6:30 p.m. on Fox Week 1 (Aug. 28-Sept. 1) Thursday: Nebraska vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site) Friday: Georgia Tech @ Colorado, 8 p.m. on ESPN Friday: Auburn @ Baylor, 8 p.m. on Fox South Dakota @ Iowa State at 3:30 p.m on Fox Hawaii @ Arizona, 10:30 p.m. on TNT Utah @ UCLA, 11 p.m. on Fox Monday: TCU @ North Carolina, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 2 (Sept. 6) Kent State @ Texas Tech, noon on TNT Baylor @ SMU, noon on The CW (home team is ACC) Iowa @ Iowa State, noon on Fox Oklahoma State @ Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS (home team is Big Ten) Delaware @ Colorado, 3:30 p.m. on Fox Army @ Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPN Stanford @ BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN Week 3 (Sept. 12-13) Friday: Colorado @ Houston, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Friday: Kansas State @ Arizona, 9 p.m. on Fox Oregon State @ Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m. on Fox Pitt @ West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN Texas State @ Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. on TNT Week 4 (Sept. 19-20) Friday: Tulsa @ Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. on ESPN Week 5 (Sept. 26-27) Friday: TCU @ Arizona State, 9 p.m. on Fox Friday: Houston @ Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN BYU @ Colorado, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN Week 6 (Oct. 3-4) Friday: West Virginia @ BYU, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Advertisement Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Friday: Utah @ Kansas, noon on ABC or ESPN Friday: Arizona @ Arizona State, TBD on Fox Of particular note to Big 12ers, ESPN DTC and Fox One can be bundled together as of Oct. 2 for $39.99/month. What you'll need to watch The American Athletic Conference (AAC) has a TV rights deal with ESPN/ABC. Extra games fall to ESPNU, ESPN+. etc. The Sun Belt Conference also has an ESPN/ABC deal. Mid-American Conference (MAC) football is under that umbrella, too. The annual Army-Navy game is locked in at CBS Sports. That exclusivity runs through the 2038 season. Conference USA is split between CBS Sports ('tier one selection status' since 2022) and ESPN/ABC. The Mountain West Conference has its main deal split between CBS and Fox. The Fox Sports networks get 22 broadcasts this fall, CBSSN has 28 and CBS proper has three. The Pac-12 is back. It is indestructible. It is the 'Conference of Champions.' It … has two teams right now. Oregon State and Washington State are to be showcased across CBS Sports, The CW and ESPN this fall. There are 10 Pac-12 CW kickoffs scheduled so far. Notre Dame has its own situation set up at NBC. It's been that way since 1991. The latest extension to the media rights agreement keeps Fighting Irish home games there through 2029. Road games are determined by the host's conference. Freaks List 2025: Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith tops a list of 101 — Bruce Feldman Preseason Coaches Poll: Who's overranked and underrated in the top 25? — Scott Dochterman Who are the most important transfer portal additions for every Power 4 team? — Manny Navarro College football 2025 quarterback tiers: Ranking the FBS' projected starters from 1 to 136 — Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales What we learned from Netflix's SEC football documentary, 'Any Given Saturday' — Seth Emerson Advertisement College Football Playoff sleepers: 11 unranked dark-horse teams to watch — The Athletic College Football Staff Heisman Trophy Fantasy Draft: LaNorris Sellers, Jeremiyah Love and 30 more picks for NYC — The Athletic College Football Staff Streaming and odds/betting links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Jeremiah Smith: Alex Slitz / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Ireland's Last Leprechaun Whisperer Reaches for a Pot of TV Gold
On a clear morning 36 years ago, Kevin Woods was taking his boxer for a walk on a mountain behind his house in rural Ireland. He claims to have come upon three tiny men, sitting on a rock, chatting. The dog and its owner were frozen by the sight, until the men — leprechauns, in his telling — vanished under the rock. Back home, few believed Mr. Woods. No matter: A few weeks later, on the same walk, he says he encountered another man, scarcely 18 inches tall and named Carraig, who told him the legend of the 236 leprechauns left in Ireland. He asked Mr. Woods to spread the word that these creatures still existed. Now a hale 81, Mr. Woods calls himself Ireland's last leprechaun whisperer, a title that reflects the weekly conversations he says he still carries on with them. But he's more precisely a leprechaun promoter, building a tidy business from books, merchandise and guided tours of the cozy leprechaun cavern he dug in a small park in front of his home, in the coastal town of Carlingford, north of Dublin. Atlantic Ocean NORTHERN IRELAND Carlingford Irish Sea Dublin IRELAND Celtic Sea 50 miles By The New York Times 'Look, there's people that don't believe,' Mr. Woods says equably as he shows a visitor around the cave twinkling with red and white lights, which he says is connected by a tunnel to another cavern under the mountain, where the leprechauns live. 'But there's people that don't believe in God.' Mr. Woods' little friends have inspired a new animated TV series, 'Carlichauns,' which its backers hope to debut in up to 160 countries next year, after pitching it to companies from Disney to Netflix. He is a shareholder in the venture and acts as its adviser and creative conscience. Except that these cartoon leprechauns are not the aging, bearded, red-haired, green-hatted men that Mr. Woods says he communes with. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
