TV Tonight: Niamh Algar Stars In ITV’s New Thriller, Playing Nice

Tonight at 9pm, the much-anticipated Playing Nice will kick off on ITV1, starring James Norton and Niamh Algar alongside James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay as two couples who discover their sons were switched at birth. We sat down with Niamh to hear all about it.

Interview: Niamh Algar On Playing Nice

NIAMH ALGAR as Maddie in Playing Nice. (ITV)

Hi Niamh, thank you for joining us today. You are about to star in ITV’s Playing Nice – can you give us an elevator pitch for the show?

Yes! So it’s about two couples who find out that the boys they’ve been raising for the past three years haven’t been theirs. They’re basically told that their sons were switched at birth, and asked, do they want to keep the boys that they have or switch?

You play Maddie – how would you describe her?

She is quite headstrong. She’s quite successful: she is the head chef at her own restaurant. She is madly in love with her partner, Pete, who is played by James Norton, and adores their little boy, Theo, that they’ve been raising since birth. She’s a bit of a firecracker at times, but she finds her match in Miles [the husband in Playing Nice’s second couple] who is played by James McCardell. And yeah, she’s not one to bow down out of a fight; she’s very strong in that sense.

What was it like playing her?

She felt like a very real, three dimensional woman. Kate Hugo, our director, inspired me, really. Kate has an incredible presence as a director. She’s so kind, but she won’t let us leave a scene until she knows she is completely happy. She is able to drive performances in a way that I’ve not worked with before in a director. She has a child of her own who’s around the same age [as the boys in Playing Nice]. I don’t have any kids myself, but it was amazing to see a woman who is working with a child balance the two. It’s really awe inspiring as an actor to see that – especially with female directors in this industry. She’s incredible.

Where does Maddie’s character arc take us?

Maddie has a past that she is trying to talk about, but talk about on grounds of her own, I suppose. She suffered with postnatal depression after the pregnancy, and worked through it with therapy and doctors. It’s a subject matter which is incredibly personal to each person who goes through it, but also it’s so fresh in Playing Nice. It’s only been a couple of years, and I think Maddie finds herself in quite a vulnerable situation. And I think, for a parent – for a mother, especially – to discover that the child that they’ve been raising isn’t theirs… It brings up the question of, well, was this something that the character felt very from the beginning, and it was mistaken for not having an immediate connection with your baby? Or is it because of an actual temporary illness, postnatal depression?

I think those are questions that any person would have in that situation. If you had a child, and you found out they weren’t yours, you’d question the last couple of years of your life. And there’s a feeling of loss, too, because you didn’t get to bond to your biological child. 

So there are so many questions immediately from the get go, basically from the first 10 minutes of the show. You see this couple who are so entwined in each other’s lives. They’re incredibly loving towards their son, and suddenly this bomb is thrown into their relationship. It has a destructive effect between Maddie and Pete and the decisions they make. And, yeah, I think Maddie’s relationship with Pete is definitely tested.

NIAMH ALGAR as Maddie in Playing Nice. (ITV)

It’s been a long time coming. How are you feeling about audiences finally getting to see it?

It is a long time coming, yeah, because it was around November 2023 that we were filming in Cornwall. When I was first sent the script to see if I wanted to jump on board, James Norton, James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay were already attached, so I immediately wanted to do it. I just really wanted to work with those three amazing actors. But when I got the first script, I was like, ‘Right! I need to see the rest of it!’ because it was so moreish. It’s such a page turner. It’s an adaptation of PJ Delaney’s novel, Playing Nice, but it takes a varying twist on that novel. So anyone who’s read the novel will find the TV series refreshing, because it isn’t exactly the same story. I’m really excited for people to watch it because, you know, it’s a dramatic thriller and those are the shows that I want to watch – that I really want to sit down on a Sunday evening and watch with my family and all my friends.

Any standout moments from rehearsals or filming?

We all moved our lives down to Cornwall for three months. We got down there at the start of October [2023]. There are so many key moments, like the first weekend we got down there, James McArdle and James Norton had a surf lesson. Production had them do it because there was a surfing scene in it. And the guys were like, ‘Come on, girls, we’ll all get involved’. So the first time we all hung out was on Mawgan Porth beach with this amazing surf instructor called Pete. And then basically, from that weekend onwards, we would go surfing every weekend, and go for pints in the local pub after. Cornwall and Newquay itself, in the offseason, all the tourists have left and it’s just the locals. So it really felt like we got a real sense of the innate community. It’s so surf driven, so outdoors driven. I’m obsessed with the outdoors – I grew up in the country and surrounded by lakes – so I was just in heaven down there. 

James McCardle noticed early on, because we were two blondes and two brunettes, that we looked like Abba. So on the weekend of Halloween, we decided that we were going to go to this Halloween themed event that was in the local area, at an amazing bar called the Retorrick Mill which is basically in the middle of nowhere, and we dressed up as ABBA. 

There’s many times that you work with a cast and you stay in touch, but it is a real gem when you meet people and you genuinely become very close friends. And I think from this job I got friends for life.

Have you kept up the surfing?

Yes, I went surfing a few weeks ago on the west coast of Ireland in Sligo. But I had surfed a little bit beforehand. I really want to get back down to Cornwall, especially Mawgan Porth. The people down there are lovely. And the food is so good. The food and the craic!

The last time we spoke [two years ago], Malpractice was about to come out, and you’d just been filming Mary & George and were still a little star struck by Julianne Moore! What is that like to look back on?

Still starstruck! That hasn’t changed. That whole experience was incredible. For all my scenes, basically, to be with Julie…! She’s an incredible actress. She’s one one of my idols. Her work ethic is unmatched. So she’s a real inspiration, really.

A still from Mary & George. (Sky)

On the flip side, you’ve also got Iris coming up. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Yeah, so I recently got back home after spending six months in Italy, split between Sardinia and Rome. The majority of filming was in Rome and in Cinecitta, which is the main Italian studio there. I’m starring opposite Tom Hollander, who I think is one of the greatest British actors still working. I learned so much from him. Once again, another actor whose work I really like – he makes such interesting choices. He is a scene stealer, let’s just put it that way. He brings so much depth. The amount of work that he puts into each role – and I got to see it firsthand – was truly inspiring. I absolutely adored doing that job. It’s still so fresh. I ate my body weight in pasta and pizza, and I have no regrets.

Any roles in the pipeline that you’re excited about? (If you’re allowed to tell us!)

Just Playing Nice! I’m really excited for audiences to see this. Honestly, Kate, our director, is just incredible. She’s early on in her career, but I’d love to work with her again. She made this job so enjoyable, and as a director, she brought so much of herself to the job, and the crew around her was just immense. It was hard. We shot in the autumn and winter, so there were days where it was cold, it was windy, we did scenes in the sea… But, you know, it was just so enjoyable! And it’s always a joy working with kids, because they remind you that you play for a living. You play pretend for a living. That’s a gift.

Who is another actor, writer or director you’d love to work with in the future?

There’s many. I’d love to work with Charlotte Wells. I think Aftersun is just one of those films that truly sticks with you. She’s an immense talent. I’d love to work with her.

Who is someone you’ve learned a lot from in your career?

Working with Tom Hollander for the past six months, I learned so much about the importance of being present in the moment. Just grounding yourself and connecting with the other actor in the scene with you. He’s an incredibly giving actor. And a genuine person, you know? And good at reminding you that there’s no fear in making a mistake. You might fall on your face at the first hurdle, but don’t be afraid of that. He’s an absolute scene stealer. He makes any other actor a better actor in a scene, definitely. He ups it every time.

Did you do anything exciting over Christmas?

I grew up in the midlands of Ireland, and I just love going home for Christmas. I’ve such a love for the town that I grew up in, Mullingar. It’s an absolute gem. I don’t know why I get obsessed about it, but you don’t have soda bread here in London or in England, and there’s this one cafe called Frames, and I just spend day and night there drinking tea and eating soda bread. It’s always really lovely to spend time in the place you grew up.

What’s your favourite Christmas film?

I don’t know if you can call it a Christmas film, but Jaws. Well, there’s nothing Christmassy about it but one of the attacks takes place during Christmas, and I have a Jaws Christmas sweater. Or Jurassic Park.

WATCH

Niamh Algar stars as Maddie in Playing Nice, beginning Sunday 5 January at 9pm on ITV1. Catch up on ITVX.