ITV’s new thriller, Playing Nice, throws a parental grenade into the lives of two unsuspecting couples. Imagine discovering the toddler you’ve nurtured, loved, and lost sleep over isn’t actually yours. That’s the gut-punch Pete and Maddie, played by James Norton and Niamh Algar, and Miles and Lucy, played by James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay, receive in this four part adaptation of JP Delaney’s novel. A simple hospital mix-up, a switched-at-birth scenario, becomes the catalyst for a slow-burn descent into suspicion, manipulation, and the murky depths of parental possessiveness.
The first two episodes, airing Sunday, 5 January and Monday, 6 January at 9:00 PM on ITV1, establish the unsettling premise. The couples, forced into an unwanted intimacy by this shared secret, must confront an impossible choice: retain the child they’ve raised or reclaim their biological offspring. Director Kate Hewitt, known for her work on One Day, carefully crafts an atmosphere of escalating tension. The picturesque Cornish backdrop, far from offering tranquility, becomes a stage for the unfolding psychological drama.
Screenwriter Grace Ofori-Attah, whose credits include Malpractice, adapts Delaney’s novel with a focus on the subtle shifts in power and the unraveling of carefully constructed lives. As Pete and Maddie grapple with the implications of the revelation, cracks appear in their seemingly idyllic existence. Miles and Lucy, meanwhile, present a different kind of challenge, their reactions adding further fuel to an already volatile situation.
Playing Nice isn’t just about the children; it’s a dissection of the very idea of parenthood, the fierce protectiveness that borders on obsession, and the lengths to which people will go when their perceived ownership is threatened. The series looks set to be a tense examination of familial bonds and the fine line between love and control.
Playing Nice premieres on ITV1 on Sundays 5 January 2025 at 9:00 PM.
