Pig Heart Boy (stage version) (NHB Modern Plays)

'I used to love swimming. Won medals for it. But when your heart has been affected by an infection it's like having a ticking time bomb inside you… tick… tick… tick… tick…'
Cameron is thirteen, and all he wants is to be normal – have friends, go to school, and dive to the bottom of his local swimming pool. But he desperately needs a heart transplant and time is running out.
When he's finally offered a new heart, Cameron must choose between a pig's heart that works… or a human heart that doesn't. How far will he go to get his life back?
Malorie Blackman's celebrated novel Pig Heart Boy was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and adapted by the BBC into a BAFTA Award-winning TV series. This stage adaptation by Winsome Pinnock was directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu and first performed in 2025 at the Unicorn Theatre, London, in a co-production between Unicorn Theatre, Sheffield Theatres and Children's Theatre Partnership.
'A powerful story about friendship, loyalty and family' - Guardian on the novel Pig Heart Boy
'A fleet, funny, psychologically true adaptation… surprisingly sophisticated storytelling, cheeky humour, and a potent emotional wallop… This really is wonderful; hilarious, uplifting, profound, and, if you'll pardon the expression, full of heart' - WhatsOnStage
'A remarkable theatre piece, not just dramatising but also illuminating and developing the concepts in the book' - West End Best Friend
'Beautiful… hilarious, thoughtful and special… presents some very complex matters, emotionally and ethically… Not just for children' - Theatre & Tonic
'A thumping adaptation… Pinnock perfectly captures the rich detail and descriptions in Blackman's story… funny, immensely enjoyable, and certainly full of heart' - Liam O'Dell