Back to Grace our screens once again...
JOHN SIMM HEADS A STELLAR CAST AS ITV DETECTIVE DRAMA GRACE RETURNS. DANIELLE DE WOLFE FINDS OUT MORE
THERE are some big names in the world of modern crime writing.
The likes of Val McDermid and Mark Billingham loom large, while JK Rowling, using the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, has penned her fair share of blockbusters too.
But for some, nobody does it better than Peter James, so it came as no surprise when ITV announced it was adapting his books about Brighton-based DSI Roy Grace for the small screen. In fact, the only shock was that it took someone so long to do so.
The author himself was as pleased as punch when John Simm was cast in the leading role: “John Simm, who actually looks like the Roy Grace of my imagination, is inspired casting! With John in the lead, the brilliant scripting by Russell Lewis, and our wonderful production team, I’m confident that fans of my novels and of TV crime dramas in general will be in for a treat.” Fans of the genre may also be aware that Russell has worked on many top-class thrillers since swapping acting for writing, including Inspector Morse, Lewis, Kavanagh QC and Taggart; he also devised Endeavour and has written every episode of the Morse prequel to date. As a result, it was clear from the off that Grace was in good hands.
“Each story is a fantastic, hair-raising, twisting, switch-back of a rollercoaster ride that grips the reader from first to last, and the opportunity to translate that best-selling magic to television is like all one’s Christmases and birthdays come at once,” says Russell. “As his millions of fans and admirers are well aware, Peter’s meticulous research and eye for detail is the stuff of legend.
“His long established, close relationship with the police, taken together with a knowledge of Brighton and the South Coast that is the sole preserve of the born and bred lends his stories an unimpeachable veracity of place and procedure.”
“It would have been crazy for me to turn down such a brilliant opportunity to play a lead for ITV in a best-selling detective series,” adds John. “It is just such a great part. I was doing Macbeth in Chichester when I got the call. My agent said, ‘Have you read these Peter James’ books?’
“I immediately bought the first two novels and I couldn’t put them down so I knew what a fantastic role it would be to play.
“I’m a voracious reader, but had never read a lot of crime fiction before. Once I started reading the novels I couldn’t stop. They are very clever and Peter is brilliant at what he does.”
The first instalment aired last year and went down so well that more were quickly commissioned.
The second, Looking Good Dead, sees Grace and his sidekick, Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson (Richie Campbell), searching for the villains behind a brutal murder who are also threatening the family of its only witness.
Three more titles have now been filmed too – Not Dead Enough, which guest stars former Doctor Who actor Arthur Darvill, Dead Man’s Footsteps and Dead Tomorrow – and are heading our way soon.
John, 51, best known for his appearance in hit shows including Life on Mars, Doctor Who and Strangers, says the new series has plenty of action – an aspect of filming he admits he wasn’t entirely prepared for.
“Roy’s running all over the place,” laughs John with a shake of the head.
“Over the rooftops of Brighton train station – and there’s a lot of fighting... Every time I read a novel now I think, ‘Oh, no, what’s he going to be doing?!”’
A drama which sees the vibrant seaside city of Brighton transformed into a giant game of Cluedo for the detective, the show regularly finds Roy and Glenn unearthing cold case evidence.
A character inspired by three days of research on patrol with Brighton Police, the novelist says the 1996 encounter with Glenn – a former bouncer turned police officer – cemented both the character and a subsequent relationship that continues to this day.
“All my novels are drawn to some extent from elements of real life,” reflects Peter.
Just as series one focused on the allconsuming nature of crime, conversation quickly turns to the prospect of romance in series two.
With Roy continuing to dwell on his wife Sandy’s mysterious disappearance six years ago (a subject John assures us is addressed head on), forthcoming workplace flirtations with senior anatomical pathology technician Cleo Morey (played by Zoe Tapper), prove a pleasant distraction.
Holding back laughter as he recalls the characters getting “a bit flirty over lots of corpses”, John describes it as “a good way to start” any romance.
With Roy being “quite resistant” to the idea at first, the actor describes how it was “quite sweet” to see his character embrace such foreign emotions.
“When he meets Cleo he just completely falls for her and it takes him by surprise,” John says.
“But it’s difficult for her to be with somebody who is still obsessed with his wife’s disappearance. It causes problems between them.”
But he adds: “We have a lot of other things to look forward to in Grace’s journey – with his wife, Sandy, and meeting Cleo and their love match coming together.
“So there’s lots in store besides the wonderful gripping stories of the week from Peter’s books.”
It would have been crazy for me to turn down such a brilliant opportunity to play a lead for ITV in a bestselling detective series John Simm on landing the role
■ Grace starts on ITV, tonight at 8pm