Published: 7 October 2025

A young woman and two young men, sat on a green park bench with a blue cloudy sky behind them and cherry blossom trees to either side.

Leonard and Hungry Paul is such a magical book. I am delighted to be a tiny part of this novel becoming a television series.

— Julia Roberts, Leonard and Hungry Paul narrator

The six-part comedy drama series Leonard and Hungry Paul, narrated by Julia Roberts, is set to air on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer on Friday 17 October and BBC Two on Monday 20 October.

Leonard and Hungry Paul follows two board-gaming friends in their thirties. Leonard, a ghost writer of children’s encyclopaedias, and Hungry Paul, a part-time postal worker who still lives at home, who meander through leafy suburban life finding solace in their quiet routines. The unexpected death of Leonard’s mother, the approaching wedding of Hungry Paul’s sister and a tentative new romance for Leonard, prompts both men to meet a world that is suddenly wider and full of unfamiliar possibilities.

The feel-good series stars Alex Lawther (The End Of The F***ing World, ALIEN: EARTH) as Leonard, Laurie Kynaston (Fool Me Once, Sandman) as Hungry Paul and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Derry Girls, Screw) as Shelley, with Julia Roberts as the show’s narrator. The series is directed by Andrew Chaplin (Alma’s Not Normal).

“Leonard and Hungry Paul is such a magical book,” says Julia Roberts. “I am delighted to be a tiny part of this novel becoming a television series.”

Leonard and Hungry Paul is a Subotica production for BBC Northern Ireland in association with BBC Comedy, Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland and RTÉ, and Avalon who will distribute the show internationally. Based on the award-winning, best-selling novel of the same name by Rónán Hession, Leonard and Hungry Paul has been adapted for television by writers Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson.

The series was commissioned by Eddie Doyle, Senior Head of Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland. Mary McKeagney and Emma Lawson are Commissioning Editors for the BBC. The Executive Producers are Tristan Orpen Lynch and Aoife O’Sullivan for Subotica, alongside in-house producer Natalie McAuley. Paula Warwick and Adam Barth are Executive Producers for Avalon. Kate McColgan is Executive Producer for Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland.

Watch Leonard and Hungry Paul on BBC iPlayer from Friday 17 October 

Alex Lawther (Leonard)

A young man sat in front of a chess board with a pot plant behind him. He is smiling.

Leonard (Alex Lawther) (Image: Leanne Sullivan)

What is Leonard and Hungry Paul about?

The series is about two best friends, one called Leonard, one called Hungry Paul, and I suppose it’s a glimpse of their life over six episodes, the relatively quiet life they lead, and an examination of their friendship; the quietness that they fill their life with. A very gentle walk through the relationships they have in their life and some meaningful events that happen to them over the course of a few weeks.

What was your reaction to reading the script?

I read the book before I read the script, because just as it happened, the scripts hadn’t been finished by the time that I first met the director Andrew Chaplin, and I was really moved by it. The author Rónán Hession talks about – and I don’t know much about this – but a Japanese tradition of storytelling, which is much more about one thing leading to the next without much escalation. The result in the book, and I think in the scripts too, is something quite comforting. There’s something quite bold about its gentleness.

What kind of character is Leonard?

I was really drawn to both Leonard and Hungry Paul as creatures. Leonard particularly, because there’s quietness and he’s a little bit of an introvert, but there is a real depth of inner life to him in both the book form and in script form that was quite obvious.

He’s really creative and feels things deeply. And again, speaking with Rónán, he mentioned something about the two of them, that they’re sort of tuned into the tiniest of vibrations that happen. They feel those vibrations quite deeply; and that’s quite a nice thing to play – someone who, really deeply feels. It’s a gift really. I think often stories shy away from that. I was really into the fact that Leonard had a lot of space to feel in his own way.

What was it like working with Laurie Kynaston and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell?

Laurie and Jamie-Lee are beautiful. Laurie I’ve known for a long time, which was really special when we auditioned together, and Jamie-Lee I had never met before, but was a delight to. I already knew her work, of course, particularly in Derry Girls, where she’s so brilliant and she’s so funny. She’s so effortlessly funny and full of life, and that made her a really easy person to play opposite. Particularly from Leonard’s s perspective, as he’s searching for someone to let love into his quite small life, and Jamie-Lee does that tenfold.

What was your favourite moment during filming?

When we shot Laurie (Hungry Paul) having his little dance moment at the wedding, that was joyous. It was shot in slow motion – it looks beautiful, and Laurie is a brilliant dancer. I really loved all the office stuff that we started with, shooting Leonard’s office life, working with brilliant people like Charlotte McCurry and Paul Reid, that was great.

What are the themes of Leonard and Hungry Paul?

I think the series is trying to say something about introversion and about its importance. I think it’s a celebration of these quiet people and the friends and family around them. I think it’s funny. It makes me laugh when I read it. I hope that’s true in the watching of it. And I think that’s quite an unusual thing in 2025 to make something that puts two very quiet people at the centre of it.

What can the audience expect from this show?

I hope that people will find it funny. I read the scripts and found it quite moving. I hope that translates. Hopefully, it feels a bit unusual for its quietness and gentleness, and I hope that that’s quite a satisfying thing, because the experience of the book is so satisfying. I hope we’ve managed to translate that into something on screen.

Laurie Kynaston (Hungry Paul)

A man sat next to an woman in a hospital bed. He is holding her hand. He is wearing a light coloured suit, and she is wearing a night gown.

Hungry Paul (Laurie Kynaston) and Mrs Harthorn (Kathleen Reen) (Image: Leanne Sullivan)

Can you describe Leonard and Hungry Paul in three words?

Charming, kind, and universal.

Tell us about your character?

Hungry Paul is a gently complicated, but also very uncomplicated, young man. He is probably quite introverted. He maybe lives in his own world. Not a lot of people may understand him or can really tell what he’s thinking about, but his heart is absolutely in the right place. I think he’s a good listener. He’s quite simple in that he just has quite simple views. And he loves his pal Leonard.

He loves his mate, and his sister’s getting married, and things are kind of changing in his household. His mum and dad are retiring. Leonard is starting to explore his romantic side, and maybe Hungry Paul could feel a little isolated by this because he doesn’t really show any of those signs of getting married, falling in love, or retiring. He kind of feels slightly on his own in those things, but he doesn’t really worry about them.

How would you describe Leonard and Hungry Paul to someone who hasn’t read the book?

Leonard and Hungry Paul is a series about two friends, two young men in their early 30s, navigating their way through a gentle, simplistic life that comes with its own twists and turns, no matter how big or small they may be. They both have their own separate lives, but have a kind of Venn diagram of their friendship where they do their own things and then come back together.

I think the show captures that really well about everybody’s private, individual stories, and then the things that you share with your closest people. It’s about the smaller things in life and appreciating those moments.

What drew you to the role?

When I first heard about the project, I read the book and was kind of blown away by its charm, its kindness, and its simplicity. I think the script perfectly focuses on the everyday things and the everyday unlikely hero. I loved it. It’s really funny, weird, artistic, strange, charming, beautiful, and peaceful. It’s rare to read a script about male friendship, especially male friends who aren’t going down the pub talking about women. I mean, we do talk about Shelley, but that’s because Leonard has no idea what to do with her. I was delighted when I first read it, and even more delighted now that we’ve made it.

Could you tell us about the relationship between Leonard and Hungry Paul, what was it like working with Alex?

Alex is a very good friend of mine, we’ve known each other for about 10 years. He is fantastic, and we have quite a similar approach to how we work. When we found out we were chemistry reading for the roles, we were both delighted because we hadn’t really, in the 10 years we’ve known each other, ever properly worked together. It was exciting to just get to do it now, playing two best friends. It helps if you know that person, because you’ve already done most of the legwork. I’ve loved working with Alex. And the wider cast has been fantastic too. Everyone’s brilliant – equally heartbreaking and hilarious. The viewers are in for a treat.

What can the audience expect from this show?

It’s about kindness, generosity, and the everyday things in life. Sharing experiences with friends, connecting with people, and appreciating small moments is vital. It’s funny, heartbreaking, strange, charming, and beautiful. I hope audiences laugh, cry, and recognise themselves in these characters.

Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Shelley)

A young woman sat on a desk in an office talking to a young man, sat by his laptop. They are both smiling at each other.

Leonard (Alex Lawther) and Shelly (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) (Image: Cait Fahey)

What kind of character is Shelley?

So, my character Shelley is a new hire and works in the office with Leonard and all the other crazy characters. She’s a young mum, kind of getting her life back together, at a real transitional period in her life. Leonard is a bit of an inspiration as to what he’s doing with his life. She’s also a great friend of Leonard’s within the office. They click straight away, and they’ve got a lot of chemistry. A very beautiful, cute, adorable romance quickly develops.

She’s a bit more of a character than Leonard. She’s slightly more outgoing, alternative in her thinking, behaviour, and reactions to things, and she’s a very confident person in a lot of ways. But the closer she gets to Leonard, the more she learns about herself and what, I suppose, she’d like to work on within herself.

What did you think when you first read the script for Leonard and Hungry Paul?

My first impressions were that it was super charming and lovely, and really subtly funny. I thought the characters were all lovable. I loved that, although there was conflict within the script, like in every script in every TV show, it had a soft edge and a real likeability to it. I think that’s an unusual thing for programmes at the moment, and it’s something that instantly caught my eye. I wanted good things for the characters whilst I was reading it.

What was it like working with Alex Lawther (Leonard)?

Working with Alex has been lovely. He is such a nice guy, and we get on really well. We had so much fun together and a lot of ridiculously giggly moments. I really appreciate everything he’s done with Leonard and I think he’s made such brilliant choices as an actor. I truly believe people are going to absolutely fall in love with Leonard because of Alex and what he’s done with him and how he portrays him. I think he’s a great actor. We’re both on the same page humour-wise, that’s been good craic.

What are the themes of Leonard and Hungry Paul?

I think the underlying themes that the show highlights are personal growth and how nuanced that is for each person. Small things and scenarios – seemingly insignificant – can have a massive impact on your growth as a person. They can have such a positive impact on your life moving forward, changing the trajectory of your life. Relationships, friendships, and connection are vitally important to an individual’s life experience.

What was your highlight from the production?

I think filming the office scenes have been some of the most memorable moments. We were all there, start to stop, throughout a full week. We got halfway through the week and we were saying it feels like we’re working in an actual office, which was kind of nice but strange for us all. But they were such good craic, watching everybody do what they do and be really funny, bringing their characters to life. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed the scenes with Leonard and Shelley when something monumental happens in their relationship. A wee bit sad but just lovely layered scenes to go and perform as an actor.

What can the audience expect from this show?

I hope they will watch this and take away a feeling of contentment, joy and happiness. I want them to feel as cosy as we were making it, as heart-warming and lovely, and I hope they fall in love with the characters as much as we’ve loved them.

Andrew Chaplin (Director)

Two young men - one is pondering his next chess move over a cup of tea and a biscuit. They look thoughtful.

Alex Lawther and Andrew Chaplin (Image: Leanne Sullivan)

What was your reaction to the novel when you first read it?

Pure joy. Rónán Hession has created such a beautiful, magical and gentle world, one I loved stepping into. Reading it felt like a warm hug as it celebrates the smaller moments in life which often get overlooked. I knew straight away that if I could capture even a fraction of that spirit on screen, it would be something special.

How did you come to bring it to the screen?

I was approached by a friend who works in development for the production company, and as soon as I read the book I felt a real connection to it. Particularly in the way it portrayed men and male friendships. During production we kept saying the show had to be ‘a hug of a half hour of television’ and for me as the Director that meant constantly navigating the line between heartwarming, funny, sad, and uplifting. Trying to make something genuinely charming is much harder than it seems – it’s delicate, it’s precise – but it was also the joy of this project.

Can you tell us about working with the key cast members?

Working with this cast was a gift. Alex, Laurie and Jamie-Lee brought a generosity and gentleness to their performances that really matched the spirit of the book. Their ability to ground the humour and warmth in something deeply human and relatable was a dream to direct. We had a lot of fun on set, but there was also a real sense of care in how these characters were portrayed. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to bring Leonard and Hungry Paul’s world to life.

What were the key themes that drew you to the story?

At its heart, the story is about kindness, friendship, and the quiet heroism of everyday life. I was drawn to how it celebrates people who live a little outside the spotlight, and shows that small gestures, silence, and stillness can be just as meaningful as grand actions. It’s a story about connection and hope – and those felt like themes worth championing right now.

What was your reaction to Julia Roberts being cast as the narrator?

To say we were thrilled is an understatement. Julia Roberts is genuine Hollywood royalty, and for her to join our cast is a dream come true for all involved. On top of that, Julia brings a warmth, wit, and playfulness that feels like such a natural fit for the tone of the story. Having her voice guide the audience through this world really elevates the whole piece.

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