Normal People goes international as Element Pictures racks up sales

Normal People, the hit Irish drama made by Element Pictures, has been sold to more than 20 countries worldwide by its international distributor Endeavor Content.

The series, which was produced by Element for BBC Three and US platform Hulu, will be seen in multiple territories from Latin America to Russia.

Rights to the love story, adapted from the novel by Sally Rooney, have been purchased by broadcasters in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Benelux countries, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia and the CIS, Latin America and Japan.

RTÉ also acquired the series, with the seventh and eighth episodes airing on RTÉ One on Tuesday night. More than 1.1 million people have streamed Normal People on the RTÉ Player, while there were 16.2 million requests for the title on the BBC iPlayer in the first week alone.

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The 12-part, 30-minute drama tracks the tender but complex relationship of Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) from the end of their school days to their undergraduate years.

"The response from audiences in the UK, Ireland and the US to Normal People has been overwhelmingly positive," said Element Pictures co-founders Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe.

‘Wider world’

“We are delighted that audiences around the world will now have the opportunity to see the show for themselves and we are grateful to Endeavor Content for helping put together such a strong line-up of international partners to launch Normal People into the wider world.”

The series was adapted by Rooney alongside writers Alice Birch and Mark O'Rowe and was directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald.

“It’s an absolute gem and adored by so many fans around the world,” said Endeavor Content’s Prentiss Fraser.

The series was one of the first to be backed by a Screen Ireland television drama production fund launched by the agency last year.