Records of correspondence between Trinity College Dublin and Element Pictures about the making of hit TV show Normal People

Concerns over filming after dark, making sure Trinity College was painted in a positive light, and a query over whether a meal needed to be served hot were amongst the issues raised during the filming of hit TV show Normal People.

Element Pictures, the makers of the programme, were also worried at first their budget might not stretch to the location fees charged by the college.

An email from their location manager said that if Trinity was “genuinely beyond their reach” they would need to know early on to scout other possibilities.

“A TV series like ‘Normal People’ budgets approx. [figure redacted] for location fees,” said the message. “We do not have the resources of a large feature film, but we certainly have the ambition.”

As discussions began in January 2019, Trinity were extremely keen to ensure Normal People was filmed in the location the novel was set in, according to records released under FOI.