The BBC has published interviews with the cast and creatives behind Leonard and Hungry Paul — is this the feel-good show of the year?

The six-part comedy drama series, 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.

What is Leonard and Hungry Paul?

Based on Rónán Hession’s novel of the same name, the series 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 cast includes 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).

It’s one of a series of commissions the BBC announced earlier this year. The BBC’s interviews can be read here, and there’s a lot of first-look images available as well.