Channel 4 announces adaptation of the best-selling novel The Rachel Incident from Caroline O’Donoghue

Channel 4 has commissioned an adaption of The Rachel Incident, from the New York Times bestselling novelist, podcaster and screenwriter Caroline O’Donoghue. The eight-part series will be produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with the award-winning Element Pictures (Normal People, POOR THINGS) and PAGEBOY.

O’Donoghue has adapted from her brilliantly hilarious novel of the same name, collaborating with Jen Statsky, co-creator of the hit series, Hacks. Statsky will serve as an executive producer on the series. The Rachel Incident is aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humour about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three…

Rachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it is love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate, and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever.  Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork City, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them. When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred's glamorous, well-connected wife, Deenie. 

Caroline O’Donoghue, writer and creator, said: “Like most authors, I’ve always dreamed of having my work adapted for the screen, but never could have imagined a situation as dreamy as this. Channel 4 and Element have, between them, created some of the best relationship dramas on TV and I know they’ll do the same for Rachel. NBCUniversal have been stalwart collaborators since long before the book was even published, and I’m so grateful to them for setting me up with Jen Statsky, who has been an incredible mentor to me as I embark on my first show. I’m incredibly lucky.”

Ollie Madden, Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama, said: “Caroline’s adaptation of her brilliant novel, and her vision for a returning series, was that rare thing – undeniably funny, razor-sharp in its honesty and observation, but bursting with heart and genuine emotion. We’re also huge fans of Hacks, so to have Jen Statsky working side-by-side with Caroline is the icing on the cake. Together with our friends at Element, UCP and Pageboy, we know this team is going to make something extraordinary.”

Element Pictures said: "We have long been fans of Caroline's work - The Rachel Incident is extraordinary in how it weaves smart, witty comedy with genuine moral dilemmas and pathos, and brings us right to the heart of an achingly funny and endearing friendship. It's a world that is both intrinsically Irish and one that we feel audiences all over will recognize and love. We're thrilled to be working with her and Jen Statsky alongside our brilliant partners at Pageboy, UCP and Channel 4 to bring these characters off the page and to screen."

Matt Jordan Smith, Head of Development & Production at PAGEBOY, added, “At Pageboy, we are passionate about telling bold, character-driven stories that challenge and entertain. The Rachel Incident is a perfect example of this—a hilarious, deeply moving exploration of love, friendship, and self-discovery. Caroline Donoghue’s sharp, heartfelt writing, combined with the brilliant vision of Jen Statsky and our incredible partners at Channel 4, UCP, and Element Pictures, makes this an exceptionally exciting project. We can’t wait for audiences to fall in love with these characters as much as we have.”

The Rachel Incident was commissioned by Ollie Madden, Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama and Rebecca Holdsworth, Commissioning Editor, Drama and is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group in association with Element Pictures, a Fremantle company, and PAGEBOY.

Casting will be announced in due course.

About Caroline O’Donoghue

Caroline O’Donoghue is a New York Times bestselling novelist, podcaster and screenwriter. She has adapted her sixth novel, The Rachel Incident for television with Universal Studios / Element / Channel 4. Caroline’s podcast Sentimental Garbage tours internationally and has acquired over 11 million downloads worldwide. She is also developing original features and long form drama. Her seventh novel, SKIPSHOCK is a fantasy time travel epic and will be published in June by Walker Books. She was born in Cork, Ireland and currently lives in London.

About Jen Statsky

Jen Statsky is the Emmy award-winning co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Max's hit comedy HACKS. Prior to that, she was a co-executive producer on NBC’s THE GOOD PLACE, working all four seasons on the Emmy-nominated show. Statsky also served as a co-executive producer on Comedy Central’s BROAD CITY. Her other writing credits also include NBC’s PARKS AND RECREATION, Netflix’s LADY DYNAMITE, and Amazon’s FOREVER. She is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Hansen Jacobson Teller.