Playing Nice TV series start date and trailer with James Norton and Niamh Algar

James Norton and Niamh Algar star in a TV adaptation of Playing Nice.

ITV will air a four-part series of JP Delaney’s best-selling novel, adapted by Malpractice writer Grace Ofori-Attah.

BAFTA nominated James Norton (Happy Valley, A Little Life, Nowhere Special), BAFTA nominated Niamh Algar (Mary and George, The Virtues, Raised By Wolves, The Wonder, Calm With Horses), Olivier nominated James McArdle (Sexy Beast, The Mare of Easttown, Life After Life) and BIFA nominated Jessica Brown Findlay (The Flatshare, Life After Life, Black Mirror, Downton Abbey) all take leading roles in the limited series.

Playing Nice will start on ITV1 and ITVX from Sunday, 5 January 2025 at 9PM.

You can watch a first trailer now…

A teaser shares: “Set against a sweeping Cornish landscape, 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?

“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.”

STUDIOCANAL will produce the drama with Rabbit Track Pictures.

Grace Ofori-Attah said: “It has been an absolute privilege to adapt JP Delaney’s gripping novel for the screen. I am thrilled to be working with Rabbit Track and STUDIOCANAL, as well as our incredible cast and production team. I’m also excited to be partnering with ITV again on my second drama series, and can’t wait for Playing Nice to hit TV screens next year.”

ITV Drama Commissioner Helen Perry commented: “Playing Nice is an enthralling thriller with a knotty moral dilemma at its heart. Not only will viewers be hooked, they’ll be left questioning ‘what would I do…?’ As Grace Ofori-Attah’s superb script raises questions about the nature of parenting and how far we’ll go for those we love.”