'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... the script admirably doesn't downplay the human and ethical dilemmas at the core of the story... asks some pretty complex, emotionally loaded questions of its youthful audiences... 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... Winsome Pinnock's skillful and sympathetic adaptation is truthful, convincing and also very funny. The young people in the audience were hooked from the beginning and engrossed to the very end, quick to recognise the truth of the portrayal of families and friendship' - West End Best Friend
'Vivid and thought-provoking... Pinnock's adaptation excels, providing Cameron with a theatrically surreal inner dream life... a heartwarming sense of hard-won wisdom and love' - The Stage
'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
'Entertaining, emotional and accessible... Pig Heart Boy will tug at the toughest of heart-valves' - A Youngish Perspective
'Hilariously funny, intelligent and thought-provoking... will have kids' hearts and brains racing... the adaptation stays admirably close to the original book yet energises the story in leaping from page to stage. The characters come vibrantly to life... This is great theatre' - Everything Theatre
