The Crown and Succession stars reunite in a new romantic series after 18 years

The Crown star Claire Foy, who gained worldwide recognition, and Matthew Macfadyen, who made one of the biggest breakthroughs of his career with his performance as Tom Wambsgans in Succession, are coming together for a new romantic story.

The two actors will share the lead roles in an eight-episode BBC-Starz series adapted from David Nicholls’ novel You Are Here, set to be published in 2024. Foy will portray Marnie, who has withdrawn from her life in London, while Macfadyen will play Michael, a geography teacher left alone after his marriage ends.

This new production will not only bring together two award-winning actors. The author of One Day will adapt his own novel into a screenplay, while the director of Normal People and the production company will also reunite for this new relationship story.

Two lonely individuals will walk across England

At the center of You Are Here are Marnie and Michael, whose lives have been isolated from each other without their knowledge.

Joining the same walking group through the initiative of a mutual friend, the duo will embark on a long journey across northern England, from one coast to another. The route will start from the Lake District and extend to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire. Initially not seeking a relationship, Marnie and Michael will find themselves on the brink of an unexpected closeness as the walk progresses.

The series will not merely use the English countryside as a romantic backdrop. Rainy paths, exhausting hikes, and changing landscapes will transform into the physical representation of the two characters' transition from loneliness to intimacy.

David Nicholls stated that his goal while writing the novel was to establish a relationship examined closely within a grand landscape. The author mentioned that they aim for the adaptation to be a romantic comedy that is both intimate and large-scale, funny yet filled with genuine emotions.

The author of One Day wrote all eight episodes

All eight episodes of the series have been penned by the novel's author, David Nicholls.

Nicholls became one of the most recognized contemporary writers in the romantic drama genre with One Day, which tells the story of two people whose paths cross at different times. The novel was previously adapted into a film, and the Netflix series released in 2024 brought the story to a wider audience.

Similarly, You Are Here will focus on how love emerges not from a single grand encounter but from the gradual closeness and the characters' efforts to overcome their own fears. However, this time, instead of spanning the years from youth to adulthood, it will tell the story of two people who must start anew in the middle of their lives.

Nicholls described Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen as two strong actors in both comedy and drama, referring to his casting choices as a “dream team.”

The Normal People team reunites

All eight episodes will be directed by Lenny Abrahamson.

Abrahamson previously portrayed the fragile relationship between Marianne and Connell in Normal People, adapted from Sally Rooney’s novel, through subtle glances, long silences, and what the characters couldn’t say to each other. In You Are Here, he is expected to emphasize the slowly developing bond between two lonely individuals rather than grand romantic gestures.

This expectation comes from an editorial assessment based on the announced creative team. Abrahamson has yet to provide detailed information about the visual or narrative approach of the series.

The director expressed that he has been a long-time fan of David Nicholls’ works, describing the novel as a funny, deep, hopeful, and beautiful love story.

The production will be handled by Element Pictures, the company behind projects like Normal People, Conversations with Friends, and Poor Things. Thus, the director of Normal People and the production company will come together in this story about rekindling connections in adulthood. The series will be developed under Fremantle, which is affiliated with Element Pictures.

Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen reunite after 18 years

You Are Here will also be a remarkable reunion for Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen.

The two actors previously starred together in the 2008 BBC miniseries Little Dorrit, adapted from Charles Dickens’ novel. Foy played Amy Dorrit, while Macfadyen portrayed Arthur Clennam. Thus, they will reunite at the romantic center of the same production after nearly 18 years.

Little Dorrit was also one of Claire Foy's first significant television roles that brought her recognition among wider audiences. The actress later gained international fame for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown.

Matthew Macfadyen, after a long stint in dramas and spy productions, showcased the balance between comedy and drama to a broader audience with his role as Tom Wambsgans in Succession.

You Are Here will allow the two actors to meet again in a more mature and everyday love story after these different career phases.

A midlife story from loneliness to love

The creative team of the series does not define You Are Here merely as a traditional romantic production that progresses alongside landscapes.

The story will revolve around midlife loneliness, the ability to trust again after failed relationships, and unexpectedly encountering a bond one thought would never come again. The interest that Marnie and Michael have in each other will be as exciting as it is frightening for both characters.

Element Pictures manager Ed Guiney described the production as a life-affirming, warm, funny, and hopeful story. Starz executive Kathryn Busby noted that the series carries a real and fragile aspect of how people love today.

The strong combination here emerges precisely at this point: the author who established the emotional timing of One Day, the name that directed the closeness in Normal People through silences, and two powerful actors of British television meet in the same relationship story.

When will You Are Here be released?

You Are Here will consist of eight episodes, each lasting approximately 30 minutes. The series will be available on BBC in the UK and on Starz in the US.

Filming will take place around the Lake District and Manchester. The start date for filming, the supporting cast, and the release schedule have yet to be announced.

You Are Here will connect the two individuals finding each other not through chance encounters in a big city, but by walking across England from end to end.

Marnie and Michael have hundreds of kilometers ahead of them. However, the real distance will be the boundaries each has placed between themselves and others.