Whether you’re a Happy Valley fan or you found yourself hooked on ITV’s Playing Nice, there’s one thing we can probably all agree on: James Norton is a brilliant actor. And, much to our delight, he has a brand-new role lined up in his very own drama. Enter Wavewalker: Breaking Free, a harrowing family drama based on Suzanne Heywood's memoir of the same name – which is expected to be emotionally challenging indeed.
With Norton’s production company, Rabbit Track Pictures, behind it, the series will reimagine the extraordinary story of how Heywood’s father sold his house to follow Captain Cook’s journey with his wife and young children, covering the emotional and physical difficulties they faced over the course of a decade sailing round the world. The actor will play Heywood's father, who he says “basically enslaved” his children, despite loving his daughters dearly.
While we patiently await the arrival of Wavewalker: Breaking Free on our screens, here’s everything you need to know about Norton’s latest must-watch drama.
What is Wavewalker: Breaking Free about?
As we mentioned, the series is an adaptation of Suzanne Heywood's bestselling 2023 memoir of the same name and the four-part drama will the story of how Heywood's father took her on a trip around the world on a 70-foot sailing boat named Wavewalker, when she was just 7 years old. The trip was supposed to take three years. It was 10 before Suzanne got off the boat.
Penned by Adolescence writer Jack Thorne, James Norton will play the father in the series, and it will explore the emotional and physical challenges faced as a 7-year-old on the journey. Delving into the hardship Heywood faced growing up, which was seemingly disguised as an “adventure”, it’s expected to be an incredibly moving watch.
Norton recently opened up about the drama at TV festival, Series Mania. “What starts as a dream as this roguish father paints this beautiful picture about this trip that is meant to take a year or two, takes about 10,” he said.
“The two children were basically enslaved by their father as crew members on this boat. He denied them a youth and an education. It’s about the against the odds fight for life and education, and the struggle between this very charismatic father, who loves his daugthers very dearly, and the cruelty that he puts on them.”
Kitty Kaletsy, managing director of Rabbit Track Pictures, added: “In the 1970s, her father sat her, her brother and her mother down said, ‘Sold the house, guys. I’ve bought a boat and we’re going to sail around the world following Captain Cook’s journey.’
“The father is on the one hand an incredibly inspiring, charismatic, imaginative and wonderful person – the father everyone dreams of having if they want a swallows and amazons lifestyle – but he is actually as well a deeply narcissistic and navel-gazing toxic person.”
Who's starring in Wavewalker: Breaking Free?
As it stands, James Norton is the only confirmed cast member of Wavewalker: Breaking Free. However, we're expecting further details to be announced shortly, so watch this space for more news.
How can I watch Wavewalker: Breaking Free?
We don't yet have a confirmed broadcaster - or a release date - for Wavewalker: Breaking Free, but as soon as we have more news, we'll update you here.
What else can I watch James Norton in?
If you haven't yet watched James Norton's brilliantly gripping ITV drama, Playing Nice, about two couples who discover their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up, it should go on your watch list immediately. He will also star in the upcoming BBC One drama, King and Conquerer, as Harold of Wessex, which will follow the vicious feud between King Harold and William the Conquerer. You can read more about it here.
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