''Eureka Street'' is a

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ire ...

1999 adaptation to

mini-series A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

Robert McLiam Wilson Robert McLiam Wilson (born Robert Wilson, 24 February 1964) is a Northern Irish novelist. Biography He was born in the New Lodge district of Belfast and then moved to Turf Lodge and other places in the city. He attended St Malachy's College ...

's 1996 novel of the same name. Set in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

in the six months before and after the 1994

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

, it commences with an anonymous hand typing the words, "''All stories are love stories.''" The novel opens with the same text. The story follows the lives of two friends: the Catholic Jake Jackson – struggling with a failed relationship, his job as a

repossession Repossession, colloquially repo, is a "self-help" type of action, mainly in the United States, in which the party having right of ownership of the property in question takes the property back from the party having right of possession without in ...

agent and the effect of

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

on the world around him – and the Protestant Chuckie Lurgan, "fat" and unemployed until circumstances and a previously untapped

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

ial spirit lead him to a world very different from Eureka Street. The adaptation was scripted by

Donna Franceschild Donna Franceschild (born November 22, 1953 in Illinois) is a British-based television writer and dramatist, originally from the US. She has written many plays and television shows, but her best known work is probably the BBC series ''Takin' Over th ...

, directed by

Adrian Shergold Adrian Shergold (born 24 March 1948 in Croydon, Surrey) is a British film and television director. Selected filmography *''Danielle Cable: Eyewitness'' (2003) *''Dirty Filthy Love'' (2004) *''Ahead of the Class'' (2005) *''Pierrepoint (film), Pier ...

and starred

Vincent Regan Vincent Regan (born 16 May 1965) is a British film and television actor, best known for his roles in ''300'', ''Troy'', ''Unleashed'', '' Clash of the Titans'' and ''Lockout''. Early life Regan was born on 16 May 1965 in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wal ...

as Jake and

Mark Benton Mark Benton (born 16 November 1965) is an English actor and television presenter known for his roles as Eddie in ''Early Doors'', Howard in '' Northern Lights'' and Martin Pond in '' Barbara''. Benton has also starred in the BBC One school-based ...

as Chuckie.

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0213344, title=Eureka Street 1999 British television series debuts 1999 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series BBC television dramas 1990s British television miniseries Television shows based on British novels Television shows based on Irish novels Television shows from Northern Ireland Television series set in 1994 English-language television shows Television shows set in Belfast Television shows set in Northern Ireland Television shows set in Ireland