The Lovers

Available on NOW TV and Sky Atlantic

Your enjoyment of this lean series from acclaimed playwright David Ireland is likely to be determined by how many romcom hallmarks you can stomach, although the game performances of co-stars Johnny Flynn and, in particular, Roisin Gallagher ensure that The Lovers remains somewhat engaging throughout its six-episode run.

Flynn and Gallagher make for an entertaining odd couple, with the former playing an overly self-conscious, Oxford-educated political broadcaster and the latter playing a foul-mouthed supermarket worker. They are brought together by a chance encounter in Belfast which eventually leads to them embarking on an affair that is often more aspirational than it is actual and provides the show with many of its best moments.

Ireland’s transition from stage to screen isn’t exactly seamless, with his screenplay often reliant on genre tropes and taking a late and rather unexpected foray into Irish politics which, while admirable, is a creative decision that jars tonally with the rest of the series. While a predictably dainty finale leaves the door ajar for a second series, it’s debatable whether one would be worthwhile.