Conversations with Friends cast: who stars in the Sally Rooney drama with Joe Alwyn, synopsis - and when it’s out

The cast of the BBC's Conversations With Friends has been announced.

The series is adapted from the 2017 debut novel of Sally Rooney, who also wrote Normal People in 2018, which was turned into a 2020 lockdown hit last year.

Conversations with Friends is being made by the producers of that hit drama, and follows two college students, Frances and Bobbi, as they forge and navigate a strange and unexpected connection with married couple Melissa and Nick.

Writer Alice Birch, who worked on Normal People, will also return to pen a number of episodes.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

Who stars in it?

Star of the show will be newcomer Alison Oliver as Frances, a face so fresh, her IMDb page currently lists her one other project as "Additional Crew" on Emmerdale. In 2006. Even that is probably a typo.

Joe Alwyn - who has appeared in Oscar-winning films like The Favourite and has co-written songs with Taylor Swift, whom he counts as his girlfriend - has been cast opposite her as Nick.

American Honey star Sasha Lane will play Frances' best friend Bobbi, while Girls actress Jemima Kirke will play Melissa, an older writer who becomes fascinated by the pair.

The 12-part series will be directed by Irish film-maker Lenny Abrahamson, who also directed Normal People, and who said: “I feel so excited to be collaborating with four such superb actors to bring Sally’s brilliant novel to the screen."

Piers Wenger, director of BBC Drama, said: “In casting Alison, Sasha, Joe and Jemima, that same flair and instinct is in evidence and we can’t wait to see how they will bring Frances, Bobbi, Nick and Melissa to life.”

“We are all addicted to Sally Rooney’s writing and will plunder her literary canon as long as she is writing," he added.

When can I see it?

Filming of the series - which will air on BBC Three and the Hulu streaming service - will take place later this year in Dublin and Belfast, as well other locations.

So it stands to reason it will be a little while longer until audiences are able to lock eyes onto it. We'd guess late 2021 at the very earliest, although it's more likely to be early next year.

In August 2020, executive producer Ed Guiney offered an update on the progress of the BBC adaptation, saying revealing that the team had been working on the script over Zoom during lockdown.

“We were able to start working on the script over Zoom so lots of script conferences, so that has been really productive," he said. "We are hoping to shoot early next year, Covid willing..."

Rooney said: I’m confident we’re going to find fresh and interesting ways of dramatising the novel’s dynamics, and I’m excited to watch the process take shape‎.”