ITV hopes amazing Grace will be a match for Morse
ITV bosses have a new star detective on their books after buying the rights to the Grace novels.
The broadcaster hopes DSI Peter Grace – played by John Simm – will prove as big a hit as Inspector Morse.
Two 120-minute adapations of Peter James’s books about the Brightonbased officer who has given his life to the job are already in the works
But with 13 more novels to choose from, it is hoped the show could eventually rival the success of the muchloved TV sleuth.
The books are being adapted by Russell Lewis who oversaw Endeavour, ITV’s hit Morse prequel, and also worked on the original.
Filming will begin in Brighton early next year. Executive producers Andrew O’Connor and Paul Sandler said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working with Russell Lewis and Peter James, two of the greatest writers around.
“Like so many other readers, we’ve been fans of the Grace books since they first appeared, so this is a fantastically exciting project for us.”
A TV source said: “ITV have high hopes for Grace, and if it gets off to a good start they will definitely want to make more episodes.
“They have a rich history of airing quality detective drama, with the likes of Inspector Morse and A Touch Of Frost, and this has potential to be a TV hit around the world too.”
The drama will open with Grace at a career low and fixated on the disappearance of his wife Sandy.
But when he is asked to help on the case of a missing groom-to-be, Grace realises there’s a lot more to the mystery than a stag-do prank gone wrong.
The 15 Grace books have so far sold 18 million copies worldwide and been translated into 37 languages.
Inspector Morse, starring the late John Thaw as the Oxford-based CID officer, ran for 33 episodes from 1987 with audiences peaking at 18 million.
More than 12 million viewers tuned in to the finale in 2000.A billion viewers across 200 countries have seen the detective at work, according to ITV.