Alex Lawther and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell star in this adaptation of Rónán Hession’s understated 2019 novel. Its quiet celebration of the gentle life is the opposite of today’s frantic TV – even if it does feature a Hollywood megastar’s voice

On a well-maintained driveway in an unremarkable suburb of Dublin, a small man in a sleeveless jumper is professing a desire to expand his horizons. “I feel myself getting quieter. More invisible,” says Leonard, blinking up at the night sky. “One thing’s led to another and now I feel like if I don’t do something I’ll just carry on in this …” – he searches for a fitting encapsulation of his life – “… minor, harmless existence.” Hungry Paul – Leonard’s best and, indeed, only friend – considers the implications of this announcement. “Nothing wrong with that, though,” he replies, bathrobe flapping thoughtfully in the breeze. “Better than trying to make a mark on the world only to wind up defacing it.”

For those exhausted by the bluster and rat-tat-tat of today’s TV terrain, here is Leonard and Hungry Paul with a foil blanket and warming mug of Ribena.