SWITCHED at birth

JAMES NORTON and NIAMH ALGAR on a story exploring every parent's worst nightmare

- STEVEN PERKINS, VICTORIA WILSON

As TV Times arrives in Cornwall to watch filming for ITV1’s much-anticipated new psychological thriller Playing Nice, we spot something different about actor James Norton: an ear piercing!

‘I got it for the job!’ grins the Happy Valley star. ‘It felt obvious that my character, Pete, should have this little hoop of silver in his ear. I quite like it – I might keep it afterwards!’

Adapted by Malpractice writer Grace Ofori-Attah from JP Delaney’s bestselling 2020 novel, the four-parter centres around Pete and his partner Maddie (Malpractice’s Niamh Algar), who are devastated to learn that their toddler, Theo, isn’t their biological son following a hospital mix-up with the baby of another couple, Miles (Mare of Easttown’s James McArdle) and Lucy (Downton Abbey’s Jessica Brown Findlay).

The two sets of parents meet to discuss what to do now that they know the truth and devise a friendly, informal agreement – but it becomes clear that Miles and Lucy have a hidden agenda. How far will Pete and Maddie go to keep their family together?

Here, James, 39, and Niamh, 32, give us their take…