Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen have been cast in the television adaptation of David Nicholls' novel You Are Here. The book, released in 2024, follows a man and a woman who embark on a coast-to-coast walk across the English countryside.
Adaptation Details
The BBC and Starz are co-producing the eight-part series, with Nicholls writing the script. Lenny Abrahamson, known for Normal People, will direct. Foy, best known for The Crown, and Macfadyen, from Succession, will portray Marnie and Michael, who are thrown together by a mutual friend and set off on an epic hike.
The synopsis teases: “Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for, but which might be exactly the one they both need.” The BBC describes the story as “finding a connection when you least expect it and overcoming the obstacles of midlife,” adding that it “treads the tricky path from loneliness to love.”
Setting and Production
The series is set along the Coast to Coast walking trail from the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, with filming taking place in the Lake District and around Manchester.
Nicholls said he was “delighted” to work on the adaptation, calling Foy and Macfadyen his “dream casting.” He added: “The intention with the novel was to write a close-up study of a relationship, but set against this magnificent landscape, and that’s our ambition here too; to make something both intimate and epic, funny and dramatic, a romantic comedy with real emotion.”
Abrahamson commented: “As a huge admirer of David’s writing, I’m delighted to be collaborating with him to bring You Are Here to the screen. The novel is such a beautiful love story – funny, profound and ultimately deeply hopeful. I’m also extremely excited to have Claire and Matthew, two actors I hugely admire, playing Michael and Marnie.”
Reactions and Background
Element Pictures’ executive producer Ed Guiney said the drama “feels to us like a drama the world needs right now – life-affirming, positive, funny and full of charm.” The BBC’s director of drama Lindsay Salt described the book as “packed full of charm, humour, heartache and joy” and said viewers were “in for a treat.”
Nicholls also shared on Instagram that adapting the book was challenging due to its unexpressed emotions, but praised the cast. His previous novel One Day was adapted into a 2011 film and a 2024 Netflix series, while Starter For Ten became a 2006 film and Us a 2020 TV series.
