Normal People

Published last year, BBC’s Annual Plan outlined research that confirmed there remains a broadcast television audience for the channel.

In recent years BBC Three has given the BBC some of its biggest hits, including Killing Eve, Fleabag and last year’s internet-breaking Normal People.

Having recently announced a doubling of investment for BBC Three commissions over the next two years, the BBC says it wants to showcase that content to a wider audience.

An RTS Republic of Ireland event in late October looked at how the June fundraiser brought stars, including Normal People‘s Marianne and Connell and Fleabag‘s Hot Priest, to the small screen.

RTÉ entertainment producers Clare and Michael Hughes (they are not related) were given just six weeks to get the show ready for transmission on 26 June.

The past six months have been a period like no other in Ireland. Our lockdown has been followed by a partial lifting of restrictions that has us bobbing up and down between level two and level three of the pandemic regulations.

The good news is that production has resumed, and it is slightly surreal that Matt Damon, star of Contagion, a spooky thriller about a deadly virus and a global panic, has been spotted pottering about in Dalkey, a small seaside town south of Dublin, where he chose to spend lockdown.

TikTok screen wipes

TikTok has allowed any of us to become social media famous, with the app showcasing new talent surfacing from viral trends that anyone can participate in.

One of the most popular trends is the #WipeItDown challenge, which shows users as their normal selves in a mirror before wiping the mirror down to reveal a surprising alternative image.

Stars such as Jason Derulo and Will Smith have had fun with the trend. The videos are set to the song Wipe It Down by BMW Kenny and Theelboy.

The online event will bring together some of the best talent in TV and the creative industries from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

Faron McKenzie, Head of CDX, said: “I’m proud that our team of creators looked like and shared a similar lived experience to our audience.

“It is important for the BBC to champion Diversity and Inclusion and not be afraid to lean into these subject matters.”

Niall O’Sullivan recorded the location sound, which Steve Fanagan mixed in post-production – along with added dialogue, Foley sounds, music and sound effects – to create the final sound.

Fanagan described his task as one of “creating a world soundwise that feels truthful to the world portrayed on screen”.

Two clips illustrated the work of the sound specialists. The first – Marianne and Connell’s first romantic encounter in the former’s family home – was recorded by O'Sullivan with two boom microphones.

The unique connection between the lead characters Marianne and Connell, played by Paul mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, unfolded over 12 episodes and shows two young people learning how to love.

With the BBC series now over, if you’re missing out on your dose of romance, here are some of the best TV shows to watch next.

Run

Sky Comedy

University Challenge

BBC Two

Monday, 8.30pm

The grand finale of the 49th edition of University Challenge promises a clash of the titans between Cambridge’s Corpus Christi College and Imperial College London.

It is no exaggeration to say that Sally Rooney is one of the biggest names in contemporary literature. Her debut novel, Conversations with Friends, and its follow-up, Normal People, have won literary prizes and been fixtures in the bestseller lists.