Netflix hit propels David Nicholls' One Day back into the bestseller lists

The TV adaptation of One Day starring Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod shot to No. 1 in the UK Netflix chart when it premiered earlier this month.

- Nadia Khomami

Now, the book it is based on is back in the bestseller chart too, 14 years after it was first published.

Its author, David Nicholls, says he was influenced by romcoms including When Harry Met Sally when he wrote the story of Dexter and Emma, who meet every year on St Swithin's Day over the course of 20 years.

"I had a desire to write something full of emotion and affection, that owed a debt to romantic comedy, but was also about life and death, the highs and lows of our professional lives, the insecurities of your 20s," Nicholls said.

"I thought I was writing the book for my generation, people who grew up in the 70s and 80s. But when it came out in 2009 I knew it was being read by a lot of younger readers, including Ambika, who read it as a teenager. Now my daughter comes in from school and tells me that her friends are watching and falling in love with Dexter and Emma, even though their story is receding further into the past, and that's really thrilling for me too."