‘Downton Abbey’ star joins James Norton in new ITV thriller ‘Playing Nice’
A new British psychological thriller series has begun filming in Cornwall!
JP Delaney‘s best-selling novel Playing Nice is being adapted for television by Malpractice writer Grace Ofori-Attah.
ITV’s four-part mini-series has announced a great cast, with leading roles for James Norton (Happy Valley, McMafia), Niamh Algar (Mary and George, The Wonder), James McArdle (Ammonite, Mary Queen of Scots), and former Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay.
McArdle and Brown Findlay previously both appeared in the BBC’s Life After Life drama last year.
Set against a sweeping Cornish landscape, Playing Nice sees two couples discover that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up, and face a horrifying dilemma: do they keep the sons they have raised and loved, or reclaim their biological child?
The official synopsis reads: “Living a waking nightmare, Pete (James Norton) and Maddie (Niamh Algar) are jettisoned into the world of the other couple; Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay).
“At first it seems all four are agreed on a solution, but it soon becomes clear that hidden motives are at play. How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child – or even each other?
“As Pete and Maddie are stretched to breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together.”
Here’s a sneak peek:
Actor James Norton is also an executive producer on the show with his production company Rabbit Track.
“Playing Nice was the first book we optioned after launching Rabbit Track and we feel immensely proud of the project it has become,” commented the Grantchester actor.
“To be working with ITV, StudioCanal, wonderful Grace Ofori-Attah, visionary Kate Hewitt, our unbelievable cast and the whole rest of the production team is a huge privilege,” he said. “We’re thrilled and very excited.”
“It has been an absolute privilege to adapt JP Delaney’s gripping novel for the screen,” added writer Grace Ofori-Attah.
Her debut TV drama Malpractice was a big hit for ITV earlier this year.
Playing Nice will see Ofori-Attah work with Malpractice‘s star, Irish actress Niamh Algar, once again.
We’ve got a glimpse of Algar in character here:
Playing Nice will premiere in the UK in 2024 on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX.
The series will be shown on Canal+ in France, but we’re not yet sure where it’ll be airing elsewhere in the world.
ITV Drama Commissioner Helen Perry has described the story as “an enthralling thriller with a knotty moral dilemma at its heart.”
JP Delaney’s novel is available on Amazon.