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.
Interview with James Norton
Can you tell me about the premise of Playing Nice?
Playing Nice is about two couples who find out that their young boys aged two and a half were accidentally swapped at birth and the chaos, trauma and complications that follow. It asks the question; what would you do? How would you react if you discover that your two-and-a-half-year-old child is not your own and your real child has been brought up by another family? We then discover that these two families are very different in many ways and so adds to the complications set to unfold.
Can you tell us who your character, Pete, is?
Pete Riley is a young, Cornish born and bred man who’s popular amongst his peers and his family. Pete is a good time guy, gentle, sensitive, family-minded, loves Cornwall, loves Theo, loves his partner Maddie and doesn’t like confrontation, doesn’t love conflict so lives a relatively small contained, but very happy life. He’s someone who’s prioritized his family and he’s never been particularly career-minded. He’s been in a band or two, travelled a bit and tried his hand at journalism but then decided to give that up in order to bring up Theo and that is the point in which we meet Pete in our story. He’s taken on a gardening job but his real life’s work, his ‘raison d’être’ is his son.
Your character goes through a lot in the series, was the role emotionally challenging to play?
The role is emotionally challenging to play and it takes you to a dark yet unusual place. Stories about bereavement, heartbreak or grief are more familiar, and this is a story which encapsulates all of those various forms of pain, but to find out that your child is not your own, is not an experience which people have often. It is a very unique and deeply traumatic experience and not one that you can compare with other people.
There’s not endless books or avenues to have a chat with others who’ve gone through the same thing. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare and that has been the challenge; to think about what one would go through if this happened, knowing that there aren’t that many examples or experiences similar, and then trying to predict what that would feel like. Any type of story where you have to go to those dark places is challenging because you have to extract yourself from your relatively comfortable existence and investigate the darker side of life. You have to tap into pain, suffering and fear and that’s always a challenge.
What drew you to taking on this character? What was it about Pete?
I like the fact that there’s a simplicity to Pete. Often roles have lots of conflict and dilemmas and I’ve played a lot of roles which have a lot of darkness in them. I like going as far away from myself as possible because it allows you to learn a lot and it’s always an exciting journey to really push to the fringes of humanity, however Pete offered something different. We all know a Pete; we all know the guy who can walk into a pub and everyone knows him so they buy him a drink, and he’ll buy them one back even if he can’t really afford it because he’s that kind of guy. He’s lovable, a bit roguish and a little bit immature but generally sees the best in people and brings out the best in people. I thought that’d be really nice to play; to take that man, that very normal, sympathetic warm individual and put him through this horrific experience. That for me was an interesting challenge and one that I hadn’t done before.
What was it like to film in Cornwall? Can you tell us some of your favourite locations?
I love filming in Cornwall! It’s been an amazing experience. Miles and Lucy’s home is located on the top of a hill overlooking a beautiful beach and on the second day of filming James McArdle [plays Miles] and I had to surf for a scene which was really fun. We had the dramatic Cornish landscape to work with and we filmed on some of the most beautiful cliffs and coastline in the country. St Ives is very beautiful and we went pottering around the town during lunch breaks. It’s a really special thing to entrench ourselves in the community.
What makes Playing Nice different from other dramas?
It’s the hook. I can’t think of another drama which asks the question, ‘what would you do if you found out your child isn’t your own?’. It’s also the alchemy of these four actors and this location. Every drama is different, just as every person is different, but this story has never been told in this way, in Cornwall, at this time of year.
What do Niamh, James M and Jessica bring to their respective roles?
I mean they are luminous, gorgeous and complicated characters themselves and they bring all that texture to their roles. Their intelligence, their intuition, their emotional ingenuity – they are three genuinely gorgeous souls. They bring all of those rich positive attributes both to the set, and to the pub outside of work. We spent the weekends together in Cornwall where we’d go surfing and have fun together. It’s been a total joy to work with them and to forge some really special, meaningful friendships.
How would you describe the series in 3 words?
Tense. Brooding. Knotty.
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