It’s first ever Keyes novel to make the leap to TV show

The Irish literary treasure has sold more than 35 million books worldwide and yet it has taken nearly three decades for any of her beloved tales to reach the screen. Annabel Nugent hears from the author and cast about how ‘The Walsh Sisters’ finally came to be

When Marian Keyes introduced the Walsh sisters to the world in 1995, the five siblings arrived bound in a pretty pastel book jacket and marketed under the somewhat patronising label of “women’s fiction”. What readers found instead was a novel full of hard truths about marriage, motherhood, addiction, depression, abuse, and loss — all told with Keyes’ trademark warmth and wit.

Across seven books and three decades, the Walsh sisters and their creator have worked their way into the hearts of millions of readers around the world. The question “Which Walsh sister are you?” has become a sort of Rorschach test of its own in certain circles: there is the adrift Claire, chaotic Rachel, goody two-shoes Maggie, wry Anna, and lovely Helen. Beyond the fab five are, of course, favourites like dozy Daddy Walsh and Mammy Walsh, who never cooks but always keeps the freezer stocked wall-to-wall with Magnum ice creams. Plus, dishy Luke in the too-tight leather trousers.

Now, a new six-part series is bringing these beloved characters to the screen with Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland, alongside Caroline Menton, Danielle Galligan, Mairead Tyers and Stefanie Preissner, taking on the lead roles. It is the first ever Marian Keyes novel to make the leap to telly, if you can believe it. A second one, Grown Ups, is already on the way from Netflix, with Aisling Bea and Adrian Dunbar attached. “My novels have been optioned over and over but nothing has been made for 27 years. I just got used to it,” says Keyes at an early London screening of the series. “My hopes were zero! And then things started happening... very slowly.”

Already out in Ireland, The Walsh Sisters started gathering real pace when Stefanie Preissner (of the hit RTE show Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope) came aboard as the show’s writer alongside Kefi Chadwick (Rivals). Needless to say, it was a big job – and a big responsibility. “Our country is not a monarchy but Marian Keyes is our queen,” jokes Preissner. “We have a portrait of her in our national museum. Her fans are evangelists and I knew if I got this wrong, they would come for me at nighttime.” On top of the writing, Preissner also plays Maggie. How did she do it all? “Antidepressants, painkillers and a childminder!”

Preissner noticeably shares Keyes’ sense of humour: the kind of self-deprecating candour that fosters an intimate, immediate connection with anyone listening. Both are like that kindly stranger you pour your heart out to in the bathroom of some random bar and never see again. Getting that tone right was essential in appeasing the Keyes acolytes, says Preissner, a group in which she counts herself.

“I needed to capture the sense of what it feels like to read a Marian Keyes book — where you feel so seen and accepted through these characters,” she says. “You’re laughing out loud and then you’re crying on the Tube and you don’t know why — we wanted to capture all of that.” It’s a very Irish sensibility, she and Keyes agree, that happy-sad balance founded on the belief that the best comedy is rooted in despair. “I was very clear to our British producers that (death and addiction) can’t be too sad — Irish people are not allowed to be sad for too long. After a while it’s like, come on! Up you get!”

Feeling seen is part of the appeal of any Marian Keyes book, of which close to 40 million copies have been sold worldwide. The author has a knack for shining a light on your deepest insecurity, most deeply held shame and making you feel OK about it. There is, for example, Maggie’s IVF journey, depicted as gruelling and expensive and lonely.