David Nicholls is adapting a classic for a new TV series for the BBC

The BBC has commissioned The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ from Big Talk Studios (Ludwig, The Outlaws) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Based on Sue Townsend’s best-selling book of the same name, the 10-part series is adapted for the screen by David Nicholls (One Day, Us), who will also serve as lead writer. The adaptation will also be written by Caitlin Moran and Caroline Moran (Raised By Wolves), Dillon Mapletoft and Oliver Taylor (Everyone Else Burns) and Jack Rooke (Big Boys). A nationwide casting search is currently underway to find Adrian.

Readers of a certain age may recall the 1985 series, which starred Gian Sammarco as Adrian, Stephen Moore as his father George, Julie Walters as mother Pauline and Beryl Reid as grandmother May. Julie Walters was replaced by Lulu in series 2.

What is The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ about

From the press release:

It’s New Year’s Day 1981 and Adrian starts his uniquely funny diary about family life and being a teenager before the advent of mobile phones and social media. With only a multi-coloured ballpoint pen as his guide, Adrian worries about his spots, his parents’ divorce, the torment of first love and the fact he’s never seen a female nipple.

As Adrian’s mother Pauline wrestles with her feminist awakening, his father George struggles with being made redundant in an unforgiving economy. Adrian’s wider world is made up of a host of memorable characters like his ‘treacle-haired beloved’ Pandora, his take-no-prisoners Grandma and his unlikely friend, the foul-mouthed pensioner Bert Baxter. This vivid portrait of suburban life in Britain shows how much we have changed while staying the same. The result is a timeless family drama that is as warm and funny as it is sad and poignant.

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