YOU ARE HERE: FURTHER CASTING ANNOUNCED TO JOIN CLAIRE FOY AND MATTHEW MACFADYEN IN NEW BBC DRAMA

The BBC and STARZ have announced further casting for You Are Here, an honest, witty and tender love story based on author David Nicholls’ critically acclaimed, best-selling novel of the same name.

Nicholls (One Day, Starter for Ten, Us) has also written the eight-part adaptation, which will be directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Room, Normal People) and produced by Element Pictures, a Fremantle company (Normal People, The Cage, Poor Things). Set along the Coast to Coast walking trail from the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, You Are Here will commence filming soon in the Lake District and around Manchester.

Karla Crome (Possession, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen) joins the cast as Cleo, a mutual friend of Michael (Matthew Macfadyen) and Marnie (Claire Foy) who brings the group together for a weekend in the Lakes. Josiah Green-Mhlanga (Andy and the Band) plays Cleo’s son, Anthony and Tom Stourton (Barbie, Dreaming Whilst Black) is Conrad, a friend of Cleo’s husband and a reluctant addition to the hike.

Following the group walk, Marnie and Michael unexpectedly find themselves setting off on an epic adventure. Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for, but which might be exactly the one they both need.

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.

David Nicholls says: “I’m so delighted to be working on You Are Here with Element, 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.”

Lenny Abrahamson says: “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.”

Ed Guiney, executive producer, Element Pictures, says: “We are so delighted to be collaborating with David Nicholls and Lenny Abrahamson - two of the most talented creators working today - on the television adaptation of David’s gorgeous book, backed by the brilliant teams at BBC Drama and Starz. We’re also very excited to be working with our absolute dream cast in Matthew and Claire. You Are Here feels to us like a drama the world needs right now - life affirming, positive, funny and full of charm.”

Lindsay Salt, BBC Director of Drama, says: “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 Mathew 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.”

You Are Here (8 x 30’) is an Element Pictures, a Fremantle company, production for the BBC and STARZ.