You Are Here: BBC One adaptation of David Nicholls' bestselling novel will star Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen
It's an "honest, witty and tender love story"
You Are Here, the “honest, witty and tender” novel by David Nicholls, is getting its own BBC One adaptation with an outstanding duo leading the cast.
The always brilliant Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen will portray Michael and Marnie respectively. When a mutual friend throws the characters together, they unexpectedly find themselves setting off on an epic walk.
Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for. But it might be exactly the one they both need…
The bestselling novel, first published in 2025, became the love story of the year. So what do we know about the BBC One adaptation? Here’s everything the BBC has told us, from plot, start date, cast to filming locations.
BBC announces TV series You Are Here
Upcoming drama You Are Here is in development, and BBC One has confirmed some of the details including cast and filming locations.
The plot introduces Marnie and Michael who are unexpectedly thrown together by a mutual friend, and subsequently find themselves setting off on an epic walk. Along the way, they find themselves drawn to each other and on the “precipice of a new friendship”.
The Beeb told us: “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.”
Director Lenny Abrahamson said: “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.”
Who is in the cast?
The Crown’s Claire Foy will portray Marnie, who is unsatisfied with her life. Stuck working alone in her London flat, she battles the long afternoons and a life that often feels like it’s passing her by. Until she meets Michael.
Michael, played by Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen, is coming undone. Reeling from his wife’s departure, he is increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells.
Karla Crome, Josiah Green-Mhlanga and Tom Stourton are also set to join the adaptation of David Nicholls’ best-selling novel.
Possession’s Karla Crome joins the cast as Cleo, a mutual friend of Michael and Marnie who brings the group together for a weekend in the Lakes. Andy and the Band’s Josiah Green-Mhlanga plays Cleo’s son, Anthony. Lastly, Barbie’s Tom Stourton is Conrad, a friend of Cleo’s husband and a reluctant addition to the hike.
How many episodes is it? When is the start date?
The romantic drama is an eight-part adaptation, which will be directed by Normal People’s Lenny Abrahamson.
BBC One has not yet confirmed the start date, but we have a bit of wait. We’re predicting it will arrive in 2027.
Where is You Are Here being filmed?
You Are Here is set along the Coast to Coast walking trail from the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire. Cast and crew will film later this year in the Lake District and around Manchester.
Executive producer Ed Guiney said: “You Are Here feels to us like a drama the world needs right now – life affirming, positive, funny and full of charm.”
Is it based on a book?
Forget the jaw-dropping controversy behind The Salt Path, the BBC adaptation of You Are Here follows a duo’s coast-to-coast adventure. But this time, it’s most definitely – and transparently – based in fiction.
You Are Here is “an honest, witty and tender love story” based on author David Nicholls’ critically acclaimed, bestselling novel of the same name. Author David has also written the eight-part adaptation.
David Nicholls said: ”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.”
The original novel, published in 2025, received rave reviews. The Guardian called it “pure pleasure in a paperback”, while the Independent said: “It makes you want to tell someone – anyone – that you love or care about them.”
The Observer added: “You become so invested in the outcome of this romance that it makes the whole world shimmer with a kind of secret possibility.”
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