31/07/2026 - Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen lead the cast of the BBC and Starz's eight-part adaptation of David Nicholls' best-selling novel

Actors Claire Foy (© Quejaytee) and Matthew Macfadyen (© Max)

Filming is set to start on You Are Here, an eight-part television adaptation of David Nicholls' best-selling novel of the same name. Directed by Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson (Frank, Room, Normal People), the romantic drama follows two lonely strangers who unexpectedly find love while embarking on a coast-to-coast walk across northern England.

Set along the Coast to Coast walking trail stretching from the Lake District to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire, the story centres on Marnie and Michael, who are brought together by a mutual friend before setting off on an epic journey through the English countryside. Against the odds, the pair find themselves on the brink of a relationship which neither of them was looking for but which might prove to be exactly what they need.

According to the makers, “You Are Here is about finding a connection when you least expect it and overcoming the obstacles of midlife. Treading the tricky path from loneliness to love, Marnie and Michael go coast-to-coast across the stunning (and sometimes soaking) English countryside, navigating an undeniable attraction that is as exhilarating as it is terrifying.”

The cast is led by multi-award-winning actors Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Crown) and Matthew Macfadyen (Pride and Prejudice, Succession, Legacy of Spies, Death by Lightning), who star as Marnie and Michael, respectively.

Abrahamson directs from a screenplay penned by Nicholls, who adapted his own novel following the success of screen versions of One Day, Starter for Ten and Us. Nicholls said: "I'm so delighted to be working on You Are Here with Element Pictures, the BBC, Starz and Lenny, whose work I've admired for many years. And Matthew and Claire are both just dream casting, wonderful in comedy and drama, so detailed and thoughtful and sympathetic. 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. We can't wait to bring Marnie and Michael's journey to the screen."

Abrahamson added: "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."

Principal photography will be taking place in the Lake District and around Manchester. Lindsay Salt, BBC director of Drama, commented: “Like countless others, I loved this book, packed full of charm, humour, heartache and joy. The combination of David’s wonderful scripts, Lenny back directing on the BBC, Element Pictures producing, and Claire and Matthew leading our cast is a real gift. I can’t wait for Marnie and Michael to spring off the page and onto the screen. BBC viewers are in for a treat.”

The series is being produced by Clare Shepherd for Fremantle’s Element Pictures. Executive producers include Nicholls and Abrahamson, alongside Foy and Macfadyen, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and Emma Norton for Element Pictures, and Jonny Richards and Anna Ferguson for the BBC. Fremantle will handle global sales, while De Maio Entertainment is spearheading the partnership with Starz. The series is expected to premiere in 2027.