Shuggie Bain TV series to air on BBC One and iPlayer

A TV adaptation of novel Shuggie Bain is to air on BBC One and iPlayer.

Winner of the 2020 Booker Prize, the novel will be adapted for the screen by its original author Douglas Stuart in his first television series. It will be produced by A24.

Douglas Stuart said: “I am deeply grateful to the BBC and A24 for their belief in Shuggie Bain.

“I’m thrilled to bring the Bain family to the screen and the opportunity to expand on my novel and to bring new threads to the story, exploring hardships and struggles as well as the compassion, humour, and resilience that is so central to the Scottish spirit.”

A teaser shares: “Set during the 1980s, Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of a mother-son relationship in working class Glasgow. Shuggie’s mother Agnes – a luminous, glamourous star she has always believed herself to be – dreams of a house with its own front door, ordering a little happiness on credit.

“Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion’s share of each week’s benefits – all the family has to live on. To Shuggie, an effeminate boy who struggles to fit in, Agnes is his guiding light. He cares for her as she battles with alcoholism while he struggles to become the normal boy he desperately longs to be.

“A heart-breaking story of pride, sexuality, addiction, and love, Shuggie Bain is inspired by Douglas Stuart’s own childhood in Thatcher-years Glasgow and is a powerful portrayal of a working-class family with a very important story to tell.”

Gaynor Holmes, Commissioning Editor for BBC Drama said: “Shuggie Bain is an extraordinary novel, with all the makings of extraordinary television. It’s a real honour to be working with the immensely talented Douglas Stuart to bring his vision to the BBC.”

Filming will take place in Scotland and further details will be announced in due course.