Why Graham Norton let Channel 5 drama Forever Home 'go wild' with novel changes

5’s drama Forever Home is the second of Graham Norton’s books after Holding to be turned into a TV drama. It’s been adapted by his friend Clara Salaman (who also has a role in the series), who he attended London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with, but even though he’s one of the drama’s executive producers, he’s not concerned about a faithful retelling. “When I’ve finished the book, I’m done with those stories,” he tells RT. “I don’t feel the need to revisit the characters, so I’m really happy if somebody wants to take one of those books and put their stamp on it and use those characters a certain way.

“I said to Clara, ‘Do what you want’ and she went wild! There’s a big plot point that’s there, but the rest is so different, so I will literally be watching the show not knowing what’s going to happen next.”

That main storyline follows Robert (Douglas Henshall), whose wife left him for his brother 20 years ago, and also abandoned their young children (played as adults by Lewis Cope and Jenny Walser). Robert is now with a younger partner called Carol (Amy Nuttall), but as he develops early-onset dementia, his paranoia grows and secrets arise, leading Carol to investigate the basement he’s forbidden her from going into...

The setting of the novel is County Cork in Ireland, but for the TV adaptation the action takes place in Northumberland, with the cast including North East actors Cope, Denise Welch and Kevin Whately. RT visited Broomley Grange Residential Outdoor Activity Centre near Stocksfield, which also featured in Vera, a show that a lot of the Forever Home crew also worked on.

The interiors serve as Robert’s home – which his children want to get him out of so they can sell it for their own selfish reasons and move him into a care home. Meanwhile, Carol promises to stand by him, inadvertently putting herself in the middle of this dysfunctional family dynamic.

“Not many people are very nice to Carol, not even her mum,” says Nuttall. “Their relationship isn’t too dissimilar to Saffy and Edina from Absolutely Fabulous. Carol’s a bit of a mouse, but she becomes stronger.”

Denise Welch plays Carol’s mother, Moira, who she describes as “slightly narcissistic”. “I’ve talked to a few people whose mums were like that,” says Welch. “There’s a lot of passive aggression going on towards her daughter, which is horrible in real life, but it’s great to play”.