Sasha Lane and Jemima Kirke Cast in ‘Conversations With Friends’

If anything exacerbated our chaotic lockdown horniness, it was the BBC adaptation of Normal People. Getting a whole nation to swoon over its steamy sex scenes and Paul Mescal’s chain, scooping up Golden Globes and Emmy awards in the process, it was one of the undisputed winners of the past year.

Now, Sally Rooney’s breakthrough novel Conversations With Friends will be getting a similar tv treatment from BBC and Hulu, who yesterday (17 February) announced the project’s lead cast. Newcomer Alison Oliver and American Honey’s Sasha Lane will play ex-girlfriends and BFFs, Frances and Bobbi. Jemima Kirke, known for her role in Girls, and Joe Alwyn will play wealthy, older couple, Melissa and Nick.

For those who haven’t read the book (*spoiler*) Conversations With Friends will see Frances and Bobbi become entangled in Melissa and Nick’s lives, particularly as Frances and Nick become romantically involved. No doubt, it will be every bit as saucy as Normal People — particularly as the latter’s director and screenwriter have both been confirmed to be aboard the new project. 

With filming in Dublin and Belfast taking place this summer, the show has been scheduled for April 2022 — let’s just hope you can wait that long. 

Read our 2017 interview with Sasha Lane, taken from our eleventh issue, here and check out some of our favourite images from the story below.