By Lidia Molina-Whyte

Published: Monday, 14 November 2022 at 12:00 am


Douglas Stuart’s 2020 Booker Prize-winning novel Shuggie Bain is being adapted into a TV series by the BBC and A24.

The series will air on BBC One and iPlayer, though a release date has yet to be confirmed and filming has yet to begin.

Like the novel, the adaptation will be inspired by Stuart’s own childhood in Thatcher-years Glasgow and will follow Shuggie Bain, “an effeminate boy who struggles to fit in”, as he navigates life and his relationship with his alcoholic mother and “guiding light”, Agnes.

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Shuggie Bain.

Douglas Stuart said in a statement: “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.”

Gaynor Holmes, BBC Drama commissioning editor, 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.”

Stuart will be writing the series, while A24 will be produced and distributed internationally by A24, whose projects include Euphoria season 2, The Whale, Minari and Men.

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