Character Relationship Map: Trying

Characters

• Jason (played by Rafe Spall) — protagonist

  Jason wants to become a parent but struggles with conceiving a child. He decides to adopt with Nikki and later deals with life as a parent.

• Nikki (played by Esther Smith) — protagonist

  Nikki wants to become a parent but struggles with conceiving a child. She decides to adopt with Jason and later deals with life as a parent.

• Erica (played by Ophelia Lovibond) — supporting
• Freddy (played by Oliver Chris) — supporting
• Princess (played by Scarlett Rayner) — supporting
• Tyler (played by Cooper Turner) — supporting
• Penny (played by Imelda Staunton) — cameo
• Karen (played by Sian Brooke) — cameo
• Kat (played by Charlotte Riley) — cameo
• Scott (played by Darren Boyd) — cameo

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Jason → Penny (Adoption applicant and social worker) — Penny represents the institutional process Jason must navigate to become a parent.

  "Penny oversees the adoption process involving Jason and Nikki after their approval."

• Nikki → Penny (Adoption applicant and social worker) — Penny has professional influence over Nikki's adoption journey.

  "Penny is the social worker who has a plan for Jason and Nikki's matching process in Season 2."

• Nikki → Karen (Sisters) — Karen is Nikki's recurring family confidante.

  "Season 1 explicitly identifies Karen as Nikki's sister, and Karen repeatedly shares personal news and secrets with Nikki."

• Nikki → Tyler (Adoptive mother and son) — Nikki develops a protective but demanding maternal relationship with Tyler.

  "Nikki and Jason become parents of two children in Season 3, and Nikki works through difficult parenting choices involving Tyler and Princess."

• Jason → Princess (Adoptive father and daughter) — Jason's parental commitment to Princess is part of the central family arc.

  "Princess is one of the two children Jason and Nikki receive in Season 3, and Jason participates in difficult decisions about their future."

• Tyler → Princess (Siblings) — Their sibling relationship is embedded in the family's adoption and stability arc.

  "Season 3 identifies Tyler and Princess as the two children placed with Jason and Nikki, and the family repeatedly makes decisions about keeping both...

• Karen → Scott (Engaged couple) — Their engagement anchors a parallel adult relationship storyline.

  "Karen struggles with Scott's involvement in wedding planning, and Jason plans Scott's stag night."

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Jason → Nikki (Central co-protagonists) — Their parallel perspectives form the primary narrative engine.

  "The episode summaries consistently center on Jason and Nikki's adoption, work, relationship, and family decisions."

• Karen → Nikki (Confidantes) — Karen relies on Nikki for emotional support and disclosure.

  "Karen repeatedly shares difficult news and a secret with Nikki across Seasons 1 through 3."

• Nikki → Kat (Threatened family relationship) — Kat directly intensifies Nikki's secrecy and family insecurity.

  "The Season 5 fallout from Nikki's lie continues as Kat's arrival threatens the family dynamic."

• Jason → Kat (Threatened family relationship) — Kat's arrival destabilizes Jason's family structure and creates pressure around Nikki's lie.

  "Season 5 states that Kat's arrival threatens Nikki and Jason's family dynamic."

• Jason → Scott (Friends) — Jason is actively involved in Scott's major personal milestone.

  "Jason plans Scott's stag night in Season 2, showing a direct friendship and organizing role."

• Nikki → Erica (Friends) — Nikki acts as a supportive friend within Erica's romantic and social life.

  "Nikki is present in the social circle involving Erica, and Season 2 includes Nikki setting Erica up with Jason's friend."

• Jason → Freddy (Friends) — Freddy is one of Jason's recurring friends and fellow participants in group problems.

  "Freddy is part of Jason's social circle, and Jason organizes or participates in group events involving Freddy."

• Erica → Freddy (Romantic uncertainty) — Their emotional ambiguity creates tension within the friend group.

  "Season 2 says that Erica and Freddy's relationship begins to blur, while Freddy also struggles in his relationship."

Story Analysis

The documented story follows Jason and Nikki from adoption applicants to parents, while their romantic partnership and wider family network are repeatedly tested by responsibility, secrecy, and change.

Plot Progression

1. Season 1: Becoming Eligible — Jason and Nikki begin the adoption process and confront the insecurity of being evaluated against other applicants. Training, social pressure, and relationship doubts culminate in the adoption panel.
2. Season 2: Waiting To Match — After approval, Jason and Nikki face the uncertainty of matching with a child. Their search for a suitable home and their surrounding friends' relationship problems increase the emotional pressure.
3. Season 3: The New Family — Jason and Nikki become parents to Tyler and Princess almost overnight. Parenting, school concerns, birthdays, tough love, and the threat of losing the children transform their lives.
4. Season 4: Family Under Strain — The established family experiences loss, difficult celebrations, unexpected decisions, and escalating personal pressure. Jason and Nikki try to preserve stability while the wider social group reaches...
5. Season 5: Truth And Consequences — The fallout from Nikki's lie becomes central when Kat arrives and threatens the family's balance. Disasters, secrets, suspicion, travel, and a final festival push hidden truths toward exposure.