Normal People: What the Must Watch reviewers think

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.

This week, Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan share their thoughts on Normal People.

The adaptation of the best-selling novel by Sally Rooney follows the story of two teenagers who try to work through an awkward, tangled set of circumstances.

All episodes are now available on BBC iPlayer.

Have you watched it? What did you think? Leave your comments below...

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Scott: “This is one of my favourite shows of the year"

"A couple of weeks ago, I said that The Quiz is the greatest show this year, I am now putting this as joint greatest show of the year for me.

"It is just so brilliantly done in every single way, the way it is formed and shot, the acting and the chemistry. It feels as if you’re watching a real relationship unfold on screen.

"It is so refreshingly raw and it really makes you think about your own relationships. It also makes you think about the different sides of a relationship and how one person could perceive the actions of another person differently to another.

"I think it is something so lovely to see in an adaptation that fits the book as closely as it can. It has the blessing of the original writer Sally Rooney and she's been involved in the making of it. There is massive attention to detail that keeps the book people happy and the TV people happy. That is an incredibly hard thing to do, to keep both parties happy.

"With this they were committed from the very start to stick with it. I think that is its biggest achievement."

Hayley says: “I got sweaty palms just watching it"

"I thought the show was very good at the small meaningful moments that mean so much; the kind of thing that can be described in minute delicate detail in a novel but then is sometimes lost in translation to the screen in other productions - it really hit here.

"I think it is something to do with the close up camera, there are so many close ups in this. You can hear the breathing and the silence of the room. It makes it feel more intimate and makes you feel as if you’re right there.

"Both of the leads are brilliant actors and this really relies on how good they are because they are so close up. The way the guy blushes on cue is incredible.

"I thought this overall was really good. Teenage infatuation is a heart-wrecking horror story to live through and somehow they’ve managed to capture the tension well. I got sweaty palms just watching it and also felt a bit sick seeing the school uniforms.

"It’s very realistic and also very ‘bingeable’, especially if you were a weird outsider at school. I went through seven episodes in a row. It moves really easily at speed, and you don’t realise a whole episode has gone.”

All episodes of Normal People are available on BBC iPlayer.

Must Watch is available as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds, or through your podcast app.

This week, the team also review After Life and Code 404.

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