Douglas Stuart topped the book charts with the Booker Prize-winning novel Shuggie Bain, and it has now been announced that the show is set to be adapted for a BBC Drama. Needless to say, we can’t wait.
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So what is the hugely popular story about? Set in 1980s Glasgow, the story follows a mother-son relationship while in difficult circumstances. The official synopsis reads: "Shuggie’s mother Agnes - a luminous, glamourous star she has always believed herself to be - dreams of a house with its own front door, ordering a little happiness on credit.
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"Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion’s share of each week’s benefits – all the family has to live on. To Shuggie, an effeminate boy who struggles to fit in, Agnes is his guiding light. He cares for her as she battles alcoholism while he struggles to become the normal boy he desperately longs to be. A heartbreaking story of pride, sexuality, addiction, and love, Shuggie Bain is inspired by Douglas Stuart’s own childhood in Thatcher-years Glasgow."
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Speaking about the adaptation, the author said: "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."
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, £4.50, Amazon
READ SHUGGIE BAIN HERE
BBC Drama Commissioning Editor Gaynor Holmes 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."
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