Playing Nice star James Norton on 'disturbing' true themes behind baby-swap thriller
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Playing Nice, an ITV sensation, stars Happy Valley's James Norton as Pete Riley, a father whose life is thrown into chaos when he learns his children were swapped at birth. He and his partner are faced with the terrifying choice of continuing to raise the sons they've always loved or attempting to reclaim their biological child.
The narrative kicks off with Pete and his partner Maddie (played by Niamh Algar) discovering something shocking about their son Theo. They encounter another couple - Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy Lambert (Jessica Brown Findlay) - who are in the same predicament.
They learn that three years prior, their premature infants were mistakenly switched in the neonatal intensive care unit following genetic testing. While they opt to keep their current children, they attempt to familiarise themselves with their genetic offspring, causing their moral compasses to fluctuate.
The series draws inspiration from JP Delaney's novel of the same title, which depicts Pete's journey as Miles reveals the heartbreaking news that their babies were exchanged at birth. The synopsis further reads: "A plan to sue the hospital triggers an investigation that unearths disturbing questions about just what happened the day the babies were switched.".
James Norton, who took on a role as producer for the series, acknowledged the gritty reality of the show's premise in his comments to Yahoo: "It does happen, not a lot, but it does happen, and to the point where guidelines around like what you do if the kid's younger than two and a half years you switch them, and if they're older than three you leave them where they are because it's too damaging.
