The heartbreaking novel has been one of the most talked about books in recent memory since scooping the 2020 Booker Prize.
Set in the 1980s, Shuggie Bain follows the titular child as he struggles to fit in on a Glaswegian council estate, at school and in his own home.
His mother Agnes is his ‘guiding light’, but her self-destructive battles with alcohol prove too much for everyone else around her, and becomes the biggest obstacle standing in her way of her dream to own a house with its own front door.
Shuggie cares for his mum while also desperately longing to be a ‘normal boy’.
‘I am deeply grateful to the BBC and A24 for their belief in Shuggie Bain,’ said Stuart.
I’m thrilled to bring the Bain family to the screen and the opportunity to expand on my novel and to bring new threads to the story, exploring hardships and struggles as well as the compassion, humour, and resilience that is so central to the Scottish spirit.’
Gaynor Holmes, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, added: ‘Shuggie Bain is an extraordinary novel, with all the makings of extraordinary television.
‘It’s a real honour to be working with the immensely talented Douglas Stuart to bring his vision to the BBC.’
While there has been no cast announcements yet, filming will be taking place in Scotland.
