“Shuggie Bain,” the Booker Prize-winning debut novel from Douglas Stuart, is set to be adapted as a BBC drama by A24.
The book centers around a mother-son relationship in Glasgow, Scotland, where Shuggie’s mother battles alcoholism while dreaming of the glamorous life she was supposed to have had. Effeminate Shuggie struggles to fit in and finds himself caring for his ailing mother while struggling to be a “normal” boy.
“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,” reads the logline.
Stuart will adapt “Shuggie Bain” himself with A24 and BBC drama commissioning editor Gaynor Holmes exec producing. A24 will produce and rep global sales.
The drama is set to shoot in Scotland with further details including cast to be announced at a later date.
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.”
Holmes 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.”
While A24 and BBC have a long history of working together the series is one of the first co-productions between A24 and BBC to be unveiled since BBC drama director Piers Wenger revealed he was jumping ship to A24 earlier this year. BBC director of film Rose Garnett also moved over at the same time.