Rowan Atkinson has made Maigret his own, says the son of novelist Georges Simenon

Some characters – be it Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, my own father’s French detective Maigret or Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot – seem able to defy the passing of the years. Every decade or so brings a new small-screen adaptation of these legendary fictional detectives, with new actors making the characters their own.

Benedict Cumberbatch did it with Holmes in the BBC’s Sherlock, Rowan Atkinson is doing it in ITV’s new adaptation of Maigret and I’m sure a new actor will someday do the same with Poirot, as the superlative David Suchet did himself before he finally retired from the role in 2013. Still, stepping into the shoes of a well-known character is always going to be a challenge.

Take Maigret. My father was a prolific author and wrote 75 novels and 28 short stories about the Paris detective, which have been adapted many times across the world – the best known British TV adaptations until now being those starring Rupert Davies in the 1960s and Michael Gambon in the 1990s. Both are remembered affectionately by many, so Rowan Atkinson – Maigret No 35! – was making a big commitment when he agreed to star in the new ITV series, which debuted last year and for which I’m an executive producer.

In the books, my father described Maigret as ‘large, broad-shouldered and beefy’, and even Rowan’s biggest fans would admit he’s not beefy. But even if you find an actor who’s the living embodiment of a character in a novel, he may not share the character’s other attributes. To me, it was more important to find an actor who could express Maigret’s empathy and reveal his vulnerabilities. In doing so, Rowan brought something fresh to the role. The fact that he’s physically dissimilar to my father’s Maigret has made us focus on the character’s psychological approach to crime, his introversion and his relationship with Madame Maigret.

At the same time, we didn’t want to stray too far from what made Maigret special. It was also our first opportunity to create a Maigret with an international audience in mind. Between ITV and our distributor, BBC Worldwide, we’ve had the budget to conjure up 1950s Paris, although the drama is actually shot in Budapest. We’ve been able to pay great attention to set design and costumes.

What would my father make of Rowan’s Maigret? I think he’d be intrigued – and recognise that, for all the physical differences, he embodies the spirit of the character. Perhaps that’s why the first instalment of this new series has been snapped up by more than 100 territories?

John Simenon and Rowan Atkinson will discuss Maigret at the BFI Television Festival, 7 April, BFI Southbank.