We loved him as the bad guy with a heart in Happy Valley and James Norton's new role as Stuart in the audiobook adaptation of Lisa Jewell's thriller It Could Have Been Her is similarly menacing.
"Stuart is an extraordinary character and, as an actor, a real gift," said Norton of his role. "I’m always drawn to roles with complexity and nuance, and he felt like an unsolvable puzzle in the best possible way. There’s something about Lisa’s writing that lends itself beautifully to audio, and I knew this would be a unique and rewarding challenge. The production itself feels like it sits somewhere between an audiobook and a radio dramatisation, which makes it a particularly immersive experience and I’m looking forward to hearing it myself when it’s released.”
Norton is joined by a full cast including Lesley Sharp, best known for her role as Detective Constable Janet Scott in ITV’s Scott & Bailey. Renowned for her emotional depth and ability to inhabit complex characters, Sharp has become a sought-after audiobook narrator.
"I found the story completely absorbing," said Sharp, "and I raced through it on my first read. Lisa Jewell has a wonderful way of cutting through the darkness of an intense thriller with wit and warmth, and I was immediately drawn to that balance in Jane’s story."
Also in the cast - and playing a family - are Joanna David and her two children Emilia and Freddie Fox.
What is It Could Have Been Her about?
Jewell’s latest thriller It Could Have Been Her tells the story of Jane Trevally who is haunted by a near-miss attack in which she nearly died. Twenty-five years later, a chance encounter draws her back to the same house in Hampstead Heath where it happened, where she glimpses a haunted-looking woman through a window. As Jane begins to uncover the house's secrets, she is forced to confront the terrifying possibility that the life she escaped may not be as far behind her as she thought.
The audiobook of It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell is available to pre-order from all major audiobook retailers now and will publish on 2 July
