Lenny Abrahamson to direct new BBC series You Are Here

Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, best known for his work on Sally Rooney's Normal People and his film Room, is set to direct the upcoming television show You Are Here.

The show will be based on David Nicholls' novel of the same name, with the screenplay written by him too. He has previously had novels such as One Day and Starter for 10 adapted for screens, both of which he also wrote the screenplay for.

You Are Here follows two middle-aged divorcees, who are unexpectedly brought together on a long distance walking trail across Northern England. Here, the two find a connection where they least expected it.

Nicholls explained that, "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."

Starring as main characters Michael and Marnie will be Matthew Macfayden and Claire Foy. Macfayden is most known for his roles in Succession and Pride and Prejudice, while Foy is known most for her roles in The Crown and The Magic Far Away Tree.

The show will be filmed in the Lake District and around Manchester, with the story being set along a coastal walk from the Lake District to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire.

Irish production house Element Pictures, a Fremantle owned company, will work alongside the BBC and Starz for this adaptation.

Director Lenny Abrahamson described the novel as "such a beautiful love story – funny, profound and ultimately deeply hopeful."

Kathyrn Busby, President of Original Programming for Starz, also shared her thoughts, stating that the novel is "disarming, sly and deeply romantic. It captures something true and aching about the way we love now."

Both Nicholls and Abrahamson will serve as executive producers alongside stars Foy and Macfadyen. Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and Emma Norton from Element Pictures and Jonny Richards and Anna Ferguson from the BBC will also act as executive producers. The series will be produced by Clare Shepherd.