The BBC is set to adapt Booker-Prize winning novel Shuggie Bain into a TV series which will be filmed across Scotland.
Scots author Douglas Stuart says he is "thrilled" with the latest development for his first novel, which was an international bestseller in 39 countries and one of the most critically acclaimed novels of 2020.
A heart-breaking story of pride, sexuality, addiction, and love, Shuggie Bain is inspired by the writer's own childhood in Thatcher-years Glasgow and is a powerful portrayal of a working-class family with a very important story to tell.
Douglas 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."
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
The author, who now lives in New York, will adapt his work into a screenplay and the programme will be produced for BBC One and iPlayer by A24.
Gaynor Holmes, Commissioning Editor for BBC Drama added: “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.
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