The Rachel Incident is finally hitting the small screen

We've seen it with Normal People, The Walsh Sisters, and All Her Fault, and now Caroline O'Donoghue's best-selling novel is hitting the small screen.

Channel 4 has confirmed that a series based on The Rachel Incident is now in production.

Star of The Walsh Sisters, Máiréad Tyers, has been cast as Rachel. Ellis Howard will star as James, Sarah Greene as Deenie, and Daniel Ings as Dr Fred Byrne.

Also joining the stellar line-up is Cúán Hosty-Blaney as Carey, Ciarán Dowd as Ben, Helen Behan as Bridget, Ardal O’Hanlon as Paul, Jeanne Ní Áinle as Sabrina, Molly McFadden as Sinead, and Maria Doyle Kennedy as Vivian.

'The eight-part series is aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humour about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three.'

UCP and award-winning Element Pictures will produce the series in association with PAGEBOY Productions.

Speaking about the production, Caroline O’Donoghue said, “Máiréad Tyers is a star and has always been my first choice to play Rachel. She and the phenomenally charming Ellis Howard create what feels like an instantly iconic double act, fizzing with all the love and panic that makes being in your early twenties both nightmarish and amazing.

"To have the brilliant Sarah Greene and Daniel Ings as Deenie and Fred is a dream, and I'm gushing with enthusiasm for the rest of the cast who make the world of THE RACHEL INCIDENT feel so alive and full of energy - including but not limited to Ardal O'Hanlon and Maria Doyle Kennedy, actors I grew up loving and still can't believe are joining our team.

"Collaborating with Giulia Gandini and Megan K. Fox and our entire crew has already been such a joy, and I am once again grateful to the teams at Channel 4, UCP, Element Pictures and PAGEBOY for their continued support in building this show, which I can't wait to share with audiences.”             

Máiréad Tyers added: “I am so excited and grateful to be part of this project. I read the book when it first came out and fell in love with Caroline’s writing, and this story - and with Channel 4, UCP, Element Pictures and PAGEBOY at the helm, Rachel and James’ story couldn’t be in safer hands.”       

What is The Rachel Incident about?

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Everyone in Cork remembers the Rachel Incident. But what really happened? It's simple. It's complicated. It's about love, sex and friendship. It's definitely about betrayal. And, above all, it's the story of Rachel and James, two twenty-somethings who met at a bookshop, became best friends, and spent one unforgettable year screwing up and growing up.

Buy it here.

You can also buy The Rachel Incident on Kindle here.