Happy Valley’s James Norton comes to blows with rival in first look at gripping new ITV drama Playing Nice
HAPPY Valley star James Norton comes to blows with his rival in the exciting new trailer for ITV drama Playing Nice.
The exciting thriller will see two couples discover that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up.
The four-part series follows the couples who are faced with a horrifying choice – do they keep the sons they love or reclaim their biological child?
Devastated and confused, they then have to make a terrifying choice of what to do with that knowledge.
The show stars James Norton as Pete Riley, with The Virtues Niamh Algar playing his wife Maddie.
The other couple are played by Mare of Easttown’s James McArdle and Downton Abbey‘s Jessica Brown Findlay who play Miles and Lucy Lambers.
The trailer sees Pete and Maddie happily playing at the beach with their giggling son Theo.
Then a voice is heard saying: “There’s no easy way of saying this, but we have reason to believe Theo is not your biological son.”
Pete responds: “What are you talking about?”
“We think you left the hospital with another couple’s son and they left with yours.”
The trailer continues with both couples meeting and it appears that they reach an agreement to keep the children they already have.
Lucy says, “I think it’s wonderful how we all seem to get on. We see David and Theo as now part of our family.”
But things swiftly turn dark and we witness Miles watching the boys on cameras from a surveillance room.
In a scene which appears to be a custody battle, Maddie says: “How can they be allowed to do that? They are twisting everything.”
Soon it becomes clear that Miles and Lucy’s plan has been to keep both boys all along.
“They’ve been lying to us from the beginning” says Pete.
Crime dramas on ITVX
Crime drama buffs have a wide selection of choices on ITVX - here is a selection of some of the programmes available to binge.
- Professor T: Based on a Belgian TV series of the same name, former Death in Paradise lead Ben Miller plays the title character. Professor Jasper Tempest is a criminologist with OCD who helps the police solve crimes. The cast also includes Emma Naomi, Barney White and Andy Gathergood.
- The Beast Must Die: This series follows a mother’s grief for her son, who was killed in an accident. Nicholas Blake’s novel of the same name has been adapted for the programme. Stars include Cush Jumbo, Jared Harris, Billy Howle and Geraldine James.
- Red Eye: Starring Richard Armitage, Jing Lusi and Lesley Sharp star in this six-part thriller, which mostly takes place during an all-night flight between London and Beijing. With dead bodies piling up and a mystery to unravel, the heroes must work fast to get to the truth.
- The Twelve: This Australian drama originally aired as a miniseries in 2022, with the episodes dropping in the UK in February 2023. Four months later, the show was renewed for a second season. Jurassic Park star Sam Neill stars in the leading role of barrister Brett Colby.
- Manhunt: Martin Clunes stars in this drama based on true murder investigations. Series one focused on the death of Amélie Delagrange, which took place in 2004, while the second depicted the search for serial rapist Delroy Grant.
Later, a clip shows Peter grab Miles and pin him against a car with his hand around his neck.
The gripping trailer ends with a distressed Pete shouting out for Theo.
The synopsis for the full series reads: “Living a waking nightmare, Pete and Maddie are jettisoned into the world of the other couple, Miles and Lucy.
“At first, it seems all four are agreed on a solution, but it soon becomes clear that hidden motives are at play.
“How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child – or even each other?
“As Pete and Maddie are stretched to their breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together.”
Playing Nice airs January on ITV1 and ITVX