‘Trespasses’ has today been nominated for four IFTAs: Best Drama, Best Script – Drama, Best Actress – Drama, and Best Hair & Make-up. The awards will take place 20 February 2026.

"Trespasses (Channel 4): This beautiful adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s layered story about a forbidden love affair set against the Troubles truly crushed hearts. It followed young Catholic teacher Cushla (Lola Petticrew) who falls for Protestant barrister Michael Agnew (Tom Cullen).

"Obviously, things couldn’t end well – as the story navigates the temperature of Belfast during that time. Gillian Anderson has, rightly, received a lot of praise for her portrayal of Cushla’s grieving alcoholic mother. But Petticrew is a rising talent, as proven in last year’s Say Nothing."

"This exquisite series is set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. When Cushla (Lola Petticrew), a Catholic primary-school teacher, has an affair with Michael (Tom Cullen), an older, married Protestant, her life begins to fall apart."

"There's nothing I love more than a forbidden romance. Forced apart by distance or circumstance, the star-crossed lovers – a timeless Romeo and Juliet trope of right person, wrong time – has continued to captivate audiences time and again.

"Channel 4's latest four-parter Trespasses, adapted from Northern Irish writer Louise Kennedy's 2022 novel, is exactly that: a quietly tender yet gripping forbidden love story that lingers long after the final credits roll."