Julia Roberts signs on for new series starring Derry Girls’ Jamie-Lee O’Donnell

“To have Julia Roberts lend her extraordinary voice and storytelling talent to this series is another ringing endorsement”

Julia Roberts has signed on for a new BBC series that stars Derry Girls actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell.

Filming officially got underway in May on the new series ‘Leonard and Hungry Paul’, which was announced as part of the BBC Comedy Festival in Belfast.

Oscar winner Julia Roberts, star of Hollywood smash hits such as Pretty Woman, Notting Hill and Erin Brockovich, is to take on the role of narrator in the new series.

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Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell is just one of the big names attached to the project, which is being produced by independent company Subotica for the BBC.

The “feel-good series” started filming in Dublin in May and is based on the award-winning, best-selling novel of the same name by Rónán Hession and adapted by writers Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson.

Other stars cast in the series are Alex Lawther (The End of the F***ing World, ALIEN: EARTH) and Laurie Kynaston (Fool Me Once, Sandman).

The story follows two unique board-gaming friends meandering through leafy suburban life, charting a story about Judo, ancient Rome, first loves, and the expansion of the Universe.

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.”

Award-winning director Andrew Chaplin said: “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. Proof that not all heroes shout – some just know when to stay quiet.”

The writer of the novel Rónán Hession said: “I am delighted to see Leonard and Hungry Paul being adapted for the screen. 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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