David Nicholls, the author of One Day, is leading a writing team to adapt Sue Townsend's The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ for a 10-part BBC One series. The adaptation, set to air in 2026, will bring the classic tale of teenage life in British suburbia to a new generation.
Nicholls described the book as 'a classic piece of comic writing and an incredible piece of ventriloquism on Sue Townsend's part'. The novel, first published in 1982, sold 20 million copies worldwide and was translated into 30 languages. It follows Adrian Mole's comically dramatic assessments of his life in a Midlands cul-de-sac, worrying about spots, his parents' divorce, first love, and his lack of exposure to female nipples.
The BBC has not yet revealed the cast, but producers have announced a nationwide search to find the actor to play Adrian. Gian Sammarco starred in the original 1985 Thames TV adaptation, with Julie Walters as his mother Pauline. A second series based on The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole followed in 1987.
Big Talk Studios, known for Ludwig and The Outlaws, will produce the show. The writing team includes Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline, Jack Rooke of Big Boy, and Dillon Mapletoft and Oliver Taylor, creators of Everyone Else Burns.
Despite the character's 1980s origins, Townsend, who died in 2014, believed Adrian would not use social media, as his diary was private. BBC drama director Lindsay Salt said: 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole is one of those rare, seminal stories that has captivated generation after generation. David Nicholls has brilliantly distilled the wit, warmth and quiet poignancy of Sue Townsend's iconic novel, reminding us why Adrian's voice remains as sharply relevant today as it was in the 1980s.'
