Anthony Boyle to star in TV adaptation of Michael Magee novel Close to Home

Channel 4 has announced a new drama adaptation of novel Close to Home, by Irish writer and 2023 Rooney Prize winner Michael Magee. Anthony Boyle is among other Irish actors, set to star in the upcoming adaptation.

Close to Home will be a four-part drama series, produced by multi-Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning Element Pictures, known for productions like Normal People and Bugonia. The series, set in the wake of the Troubles, will tell the story of Sean, who goes back to his family home in Belfast, "where the promised prosperity of peacetime has yet to arrive and every street has a story to tell," as per logline. One night, when Sean assaults a stranger, "everything is tipped into chaos".

Described as " striking tale of love, trauma and finding your place in the scarred city you call home," the series will be directed by Diarmuid Goggins. The cast includes Anthony Boyle (Say Nothing, House of Guinness) as Sean, Jessica Reynolds (A Woman of Substance, Kneecap) as Mairéad, Seamus O’Hara (House of Guinness, Say Nothing) as Anthony, and Oisín Thompson (Trespasses) as Ryan.

Close to Home series will be filmed with support from Northern Ireland Screen and Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland. More information about production and casting will be revealed soon, with filming set to begin this month in Belfast.