Author David Nicholls on the anxiety that comes with finding your calling.
As a writer whose work is known as much for its comedic prowess as its profound insight into human relationships, David Nicholls’ dizzying commercial success has done nothing to dispel his down-to-earth nature. Our conversation comes at the tail end of what has been an intensely busy year for the author. Following the release of the hit Netflix series, One Day, based on his 2009 bestselling novel, as well as the publication of his sixth book, You Are Here, David spent 2024 largely embroiled in a whirlwind of book tours, interviews and television awards.
Born in Eastleigh, Hampshire, he has lived in London for 25 years, raising his children in Highbury with his partner, Hannah. Like many, he is struggling to square his love of the city with the increasing difficulties involved in living here. “I’m extremely fond of it, but it’s not in my blood,” he says. “I wasn’t born here. I do see its faults, and I can see how hard it can be for the people we rely on to actually live in the city.”
He is quick to praise others, frequently drawing attention to the successes of One Day series leads Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall via social media, and even quicker to retreat into self-deprecating humour when his own qualities are highlighted. While recalling his dream of becoming an actor after graduating from university, he is self-critical, despite having worked as an understudy for three years alongside Judi Dench and Bill Nighy. “I was always anxious about it, about living and making progress. The odds were really stacked against me, because there was nothing really interesting or remarkable about me. It was something of a relief to find something else that I loved which actually suited me much better.”
The first in his family to attend university, Nicholls’ unorthodox ambitions caused his parents a significant degree of anxiety. He describes them as “not unsupportive” of his love of the stage, but they were keen for him to settle into something “reliable and sensible”. With his own children on the cusp of leaving home, there is a troubled edge to his voice as he expresses how he has come to understand this sense of paternal worry. “They are very much finding their way. I want them to try and avoid that sense of obligation, and it’s hard not doing something you love. So I want them to pursue their passions, even if initially they seem unattainable.”
The writer has said that his 2019 coming-of-age novel, Sweet Sorrow, is his most personal to date, principally due to its exploration of the sense of fear and uncertainty that comes with growing up. “That time of life seemed important to me… the adult world is overwhelming.” It appears he is a man most preoccupied with the passing of time, not romance.
Looking to the future, David has no fixed plans, apart from his long-standing aspiration to write an original screenplay. The anxiety that riddled his earlier years seems to have dissolved into a sense of calm and contentment. “I’m very lucky with work and I’ll do that for a few more years. That will be enough.”
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I am a Newspaper Journalism student at City, University of London, and a graduate in Politics and French from the University of Bristol. With six years of experience in media and a commitment to solutions-based, impactful storytelling, I have previously written for publications such as Marlborough News, Freshered, Her Campus, Epigram and Empoword. My interests are varied, but I mainly specialise in stories related to politics and culture.