Is One Day Based On A True Story? The Show’s Inspiration Explained

Netflix’s One Day TV show was a big hit with viewers thanks to its engaging story and relatable characters, which raised questions about the inspiration behind the show. Netflix is home to the British TV series One Day, starring Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod. One Day tells the story of Emma (Mob) and Dexter (Woodall), two British students at the University of Edinburgh who spent the day before graduation together. The day was July 15th, 1988, and from then on, the series catches up with them on the same day over the course of 20 years.

One Day sees the ups and downs in Emma and Dexter’s friendship as well as in their careers and personal lives, and how their strong bond was almost completely broken a couple of times. One Day became a hit with critics and viewers thanks to its combination of drama, comedy, and romance, as well as its realistic tone that made it easy for viewers to connect to the story and its characters. The success and tone of One Day have raised questions about the inspiration behind the show, mostly if it’s based on a true story.

Netflix’s One Day Isn’t A True Story

Despite how realistic it feels, One Day isn’t based on a true story.

While Netflix is home to several TV shows based on true stories, One Day isn’t part of them. There’s no real-life Dexter and Emma whose friends-to-lovers with a tragic ending served as inspiration for the series, but that doesn’t take away how real the characters, their connection, and their story feel. Surely, Emma and Dexter’s story in One Day mirrors many stories around the world and through time, but there isn’t a specific couple and their unique story that served as the basis for One Day, in any of its formats.

David Nicholls’ 2009 Book Inspired The Netflix Show & The 2011 Anne Hathaway Movie

The Netflix show isn’t the book’s first adaptation.

Instead of being based on a true story, One Day is based on a book. Written by David Nicholls and published in 2009, One Day was well-received by critics and was named 2010 Galaxy Book of the Year. Despite some structural flaws and the omission of some of Dexter and Emma’s life events, critics called One Day memorable, funny, wise, compassionate, and also “unbearably sad”. In 2011, One Day was adapted to the big screen, with Lone Scherfig (An Education) as director and with a screenplay by Nicholls himself.

The film adaptation of One Day starred Anne Hathaway as Emma and Jim Sturgess as Dexter, along with Romola Garai as Sylvie, Rafe Spall as Ian, and Patricia Clarkson as Alison, Dex’s mother. Unfortunately, One Day couldn’t replicate the success of the novel, and it holds a 35% score on Rotten Tomatoes, giving it a “rotten” label. Most critics found that One Day lacked the emotion, insight, and depth of the novel, and while some labeled it as “monotonous” and “boring”, others found its slow pace to be part of its charm and the build-up to its tragic twist.

How David Nicholls’ Real Life Loosely Inspired One Day’s Characters

Dexter & Emma are a combination of different people.

Although One Day doesn’t tell a true story and Dex and Emma aren’t real people, some parts of their stories are inspired by David Nicholls’ real life. Speaking to The Guardian in 2011, Nicholls shared where the inspiration for Dexter and Emma came from, revealing they are a combination of different people he met at key points in his life. When Nicholls was an actor, he worked with men whose careers and personalities mirrored those of Dex, particularly during Dex’s time as a (not-so-loved) TV host. Nicholls explained that these men he worked with found success early on, were good-looking, and “felt no embarrassment about having a good time”, so bits of them can be found on Dexter.

Speaking to Midlife at the Oasis in 2010, Nicholls said that a lot of his male friends had “a wild, hedonistic time in London in the nineties”, and that was added to Dexter. When it comes to Emma, Nicholls explained there are parts of him, his friends, and fictional characters in her, such as Annie Hall, Katharine Hepburn, and others. Nicholls, like Emma, studied English and Drama, and his pursuit of an acting career led him to work in restaurants, just like Emma did at first. Writing for The Guardian in 2021, Nicholls added that Emma’s Tex-Mex restaurant was his Fulham bistro chain.

Nicholls also shared that there’s a lot of him in the character of Ian, Emma’s boyfriend, as he had the same “lapses of taste, the same terrible flat, the same gaucheness”. Nicholls recalled that the idea for One Day came to him while studying Tess of the D’Ubervilles, where the title character realizes that another date of great importance that passes unseen every year is the day of her death. The idea of an ordinary day that isn’t ordinary at all inspired Nicholls to write One Day, and he put together bits of his life and people he knew to bring Emma and Dexter to life.

Sources: The Guardian, Midlife at the Oasis.

One Day (2024)

Based on the novel by David Nicholls, One Day is a 2024 romantic drama series created by Nicole Taylor. Despite their lives drifting apart after high school, Dex and Emma reunite one day every year as their lives run parallel. Love, heartbreak, and the experience of growing apart together lie at the center of this decade-spanning love story.

Release Date

February 8, 2024

Cast

Leo Woodall , Ambika Mod , Amber Grappy , Tim McInnerny , Jonny Weldon

Seasons

1