It’s not exactly Dickens, confesses Fellowes of his novel in instalments

WHEN Julian Fellowes announced plans to release his new novel, Belgravia, in separate instalments, his publishers said the move evoked the spirit of Charles Dickens.

But while Dickens was known for tweaking his plots as he went along and developing his characters based on reader feedback, Fellowes has admitted that his new novel – a love story that begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo – has already been written in full.

The Downton Abbey crea- tor, who will release the first instalment of his novel tomorrow said the prospect of changing the plot scared him and he was too much of a “stuffy old fart” to follow Dickens’ example.

He told Radio 4’s Today programme: “For me, it frightens me slightly, because when you are writing a book, things change and certain characters you become more interested in than when you were at the planning stage.

“Dickens of course responded to readers’ reaction. In my case, because I’m a stuffy old fart, I had to have the whole book finished and ready.” The book will initially be published in digital form with extra features giving more information about its characters and settings.

Fellowes said he had been attracted to the idea of “combining the 19th-century method of release – once a week – with a 21st century concept of having an app that’s an accompaniment to the books”.

He said: “You go on to the app, you go round the houses, you meet the characters. It seemed an exciting and innovative way of releasing something.”