‘She’s the queen of Ireland’: Inside the first ever Marian Keyes TV show

When Marian Keyes introduced nan Walsh sisters to nan world successful 1995, nan 5 siblings arrived bound successful a beautiful pastel book overgarment and marketed nether nan somewhat patronising explanation of “women’s fiction”. What readers recovered alternatively was a caller afloat of difficult truths astir marriage, motherhood, addiction, depression, abuse, and nonaccomplishment – each told pinch Keyes’ trademark warmth and wit.

Across seven books and 3 decades, nan Walsh sisters and their creator person worked their measurement into nan hearts of millions of readers astir nan world. The mobility “Which Walsh sister are you?” has go a benignant of Rorschach trial of its ain successful definite circles: location is nan adrift Claire, chaotic Rachel, goody two-shoes Maggie, wry Anna, and beautiful Helen. Beyond nan fab 5 are, of course, favourites for illustration dozy Daddy Walsh and Mammy Walsh, who ne'er cooks but ever keeps nan freezer stocked wall-to-wall pinch Magnum crystal creams. Plus, dishy Luke successful nan too-tight leather trousers.

Now, a caller six-part bid is bringing these beloved characters to nan surface pinch Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland, alongside Caroline Menton, Danielle Galligan, Mairead Tyers and Stefanie Preissner, taking connected nan lead roles. It is nan first ever Marian Keyes caller to make nan leap to telly, if you tin judge it. A 2nd one, Grown Ups, is already connected nan measurement from Netflix, pinch Aisling Bea and Adrian Dunbar attached. “My novels person been optioned complete and complete but thing has been made for 27 years. I conscionable sewage utilized to it,” says Keyes astatine an early London screening of nan series. “My hopes were zero! And past things started happening… very slowly.”

Already retired successful Ireland, The Walsh Sisters started gathering existent gait erstwhile Stefanie Preissner (of nan deed RTE show Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope) came aboard arsenic nan show’s writer alongside Kefi Chadwick (Rivals). Needless to say, it was a large occupation – and a large responsibility. “Our state is not a monarchy but Marian Keyes is our queen,” jokes Preissner. “We person a image of her successful our nationalist museum. Her fans are evangelists and I knew if I sewage this wrong, they would travel for maine astatine nighttime.” On apical of nan writing, Preissner besides plays Maggie. How did she do it all? “Antidepressants, painkillers and a childminder!”

Preissner noticeably shares Keyes’ consciousness of humour: nan benignant of self-deprecating candour that fosters an intimate, contiguous relationship pinch anyone listening. Both are for illustration that kindly alien you move your bosom retired to successful nan bath of immoderate random barroom and ne'er spot again. Getting that reside correct was basal successful appeasing nan Keyes acolytes, says Preissner, a group successful which she counts herself.

“I needed to seizure nan consciousness of what it feels for illustration to publication a Marian Keyes book – wherever you consciousness truthful seen and accepted done these characters,” she says. “You’re laughing retired large and past you’re crying connected nan Tube and you don’t cognize why – we wanted to seizure each of that.” It’s a very Irish sensibility, she and Keyes agree, that happy-sad equilibrium founded connected nan belief that nan champion drama is rooted successful despair. “I was very clear to our British producers that [death and addiction] can’t beryllium excessively sad – Irish group are not allowed to beryllium sad for excessively long. After a while it’s like, travel on! Up you get!”

Feeling seen is portion of nan entreaty of immoderate Marian Keyes book, of which adjacent to 40 cardinal copies person been sold worldwide. The writer has a knack for sparkling a ray connected your deepest insecurity, astir profoundly held shame and making you consciousness OK astir it. There is, for example, Maggie’s IVF journey, depicted arsenic gruelling and costly and lonely. It was important to Preissner, who had undergone curen and had aggregate miscarriages herself, to show really isolating a process it tin be. “I deliberation astir Gogglebox a batch erstwhile writing: what are group connected nan sofa going to beryllium talking about?” she says. “And I deliberation location will beryllium women watching and really relating to Maggie sitting connected couches alongside group who don’t cognize what they’re going through. And that’s what really upsets me.”

Take Claire’s characteristic too, whose acquisition of being a mother is complicated, arguable even, but by nary intends singular. She loves her daughter, but she besides loves to spell retired and person fun. In 1 scene, she lies astir having a kid to a man she meets. “The dichotomy is handled really well,” says Galligan, who plays her. “She has a really strong, loving narration pinch her kid but her narration to motherhood is tenuous and difficult and that’s OK. I deliberation a batch of women person astir apt felt that successful their lives, truthful to beryllium capable to springiness a sound to that stigma felt important.”

“The expectations connected motherhood and fatherhood are not nan same, and it is truthful unfair and unjust. You know, I’ve said successful nan past, ‘I conscionable want to beryllium a dad! Why can’t I beryllium a dad?’” says Preissner, who recalls plentifulness of group successful Ireland criticising Claire for her actions arsenic a mother. “But I’m happy to conflict that fight. I’ll return anybody on.”

While nan books dainty nan sisters for illustration a revolving doorway of protagonists, nan bid zeroes successful connected Rachel arsenic her addiction to narcotics and intoxicant spins her life retired of control. All nan while, she bats it disconnected arsenic nan mean life of immoderate party-loving twentysomething. Menton’s capacity present is visceral and naturalistic, ironically driven by what sounds for illustration a fastidiously world approach. “She arrived astatine nan audition and it was for illustration she had been studying for a PhD,” says Preissner. “It was a superb audition.” After securing nan part, Menton went connected to meet pinch psychologists who specialise successful addiction, and had nan chance to speak pinch personification who was successful curen successful real-time. Her cardinal takeaway? “Don’t ask, ‘Why nan addiction?’ Ask, ‘Why nan pain?’” she says.

Casting Menton was, Keyes adds, nan last portion of “the large jigsaw” they had created pinch nan remainder of nan actors. “The chemistry was indescribable. You’d committedness they had travel from nan aforesaid cistron pool,” says nan author. It comes done connected screen, too, that consciousness of complete comfortableness and patient love, but besides nan underhanded jibes and devastating cruelty you’d ne'er dream of inflicting connected anyone but your sister.

The formed and creators dream nan bid will spell immoderate measurement successful redressing that age-old sexist chatter surrounding Marian Keyes books – that hers are blameworthy pleasures meant solely for nan formation and nan airport. It’s a process that has already started, successful fact. “Men thin to enslaved by doing ‘men things’ for illustration play and Everton and fixing stuff, but my uncle and his boy sat down each Sunday when The Walsh Sisters was connected successful Ireland and watched it together,” says Galligan. “It was their father-son bonding activity of nan week. And I emotion nan travel that these books person taken from being ‘fluff’ to being nan point that my uncle Michael and small relative Michael Jr usage to enslaved over.”

As for Keyes, she is delighted pinch this first adjustment of her work. “I cried a phenomenal magnitude and it was this cleansing crying. It was for illustration thing near maine and became thing else,” she says. “And that emotion had thing to do pinch maine – this was Stephanie’s type – but besides astatine nan aforesaid time, it had a batch to do pinch me.” It’s nary mini feat making Marian Keyes, patron saint of nan cathartic cry, tear up herself. “I tin dice happy,” says Preissner. “Marian Keyes liked it: put that connected my grave.”

All episodes of ‘The Walsh Sisters’ will beryllium disposable connected BBC iPlayer connected 21 February, and BBC One will aerial nan bid play starting 9.15pm nan aforesaid evening