First look at Graham Norton’s Forever Home

Graham Norton’s bestselling novel Forever Home is coming to the small screen - and the first look images have finally arrived.

Fans of Graham Norton’s novels have been given their first glimpse at the upcoming Channel 5 drama Forever Home, with a star-studded cast bringing the broadcaster’s dark and twisty story to life.

Credit: Channel 5, Forever Home

The six-part adaptation is based on Norton’s 2022 novel of the same name and stars Downton Abbey actress Amy Nuttall alongside Shetland star Douglas Henshall, Denise Welch, Kevin Whately, Samantha Bond, Lewis Cope and Heartstopper’s Jenny Walser.

Channel 5 has now released a selection of first-look images from the drama, offering viewers a glimpse at the characters caught up in a family secret that is about to change everything.

What is Forever Home about?

The story centres on Carol Crottie, played by Amy Nuttall, who has found love again with Robert Barrie, played by Douglas Henshall.

However, this new relationship is not quite the fresh start Carol might have hoped for.

Robert is an older man living with dementia and, despite his condition deteriorating, he is adamant that he will not leave his home.

At first, Carol struggles to understand why the house means so much to him. But when questions surrounding Robert's past begin to emerge, she starts to wonder whether there is something much darker behind his refusal to move. Robert's first wife, Joan, left him for his brother two decades earlier, leaving Robert and his children behind.

But Carol soon discovers that the story she has been told about Joan's disappearance may not be the truth. And then there is the basement. A hidden basement in Robert's home appears to be at the heart of his anxieties, prompting Carol and her mother Moira, played by Denise Welch, to start investigating.

Before long, years of family secrets begin to unravel, and what starts as questions about Robert's past threatens to completely destroy Carol's new life.

A huge cast joins the drama

There is certainly no shortage of familiar faces in Forever Home. Alongside Nuttall and Henshall, viewers will recognise Denise Welch, who plays Carol's mum Moira.

Heartstopper star Jenny Walser plays Sally, Robert's daughter, while Lewis Cope plays his son Kaden. Cope is also known to viewers from Emmerdale and his time on Strictly Come Dancing.

Kevin Whately, best known for Inspector Morse and Lewis, also stars as Silent Dave, while Shane Zaza plays Daniel Evans.

The series has been written by Clara Salaman, who also executive produces alongside Graham Norton. It is produced by FilmNation Entertainment and The Mediapro Studio, with filming taking place in Northumberland.

Graham Norton describes it as a "dark romp"

While the story certainly sounds like a thriller, Forever Home isn't expected to be a relentlessly bleak watch. Norton has previously described the story as a funny, twisted "dark-romp", with farcical moments sitting alongside the darker elements of the plot.

The author has said that the original idea came from imagining what it might be like to pack up a home later in life, and the complications and "what if" scenarios that can come with relationships later in life.

From bestseller to the small screen

Forever Home was published in 2022 and is Graham Norton's fourth novel. It is also not the first time one of Norton's books has been adapted for television. His debut novel, Holding, was previously turned into an ITV drama starring Conleth Hill, Siobhán McSweeney and Clinton Liberty.

Now, Forever Home is getting the television treatment, with Norton himself on board as an executive producer.

Forever Home will air on Channel 5 later in 2026, although an exact release date has yet to be announced.