Sunday TV Choice: Grace (ITV1, 8pm)
Some things are, it seems, simply meant to be.
Take turning Peter James’s long-running Roy Grace series of novels into a TV drama. Not only does the show have a ready-made fanbase because the books sell in their millions around the globe (the Queen herself is said to be a fan), but they’re already pretty cinematic, perhaps because James worked as a film producer before putting pen to paper.
The only surprise is that it took so long for them to make it to the screen – the first Grace book, Dead Simple, was published in 2005, while the TV series didn’t appear until 2021. However, ITV1 is making up for lost time – we’re about to be treated to the fifth series.
“We are working so closely with Peter James to bring the books to life, hopefully fans will continue to be happy with what we’ve done,” says John Simm, who plays the title character, DSI Roy Grace. It’s a wish shared by the author, who adds that while writing his novels, he had someone who “very much looked like John” already in his mind.
“When ITV said ‘what do you think about John Simm?’ I said, ‘You’re kidding?! This is exactly the kind of image I’ve always had.’ He was Roy Grace from the moment I first saw him,” claims James, whose stories have been inspired by actual events.
“All my novels are drawn to some extent from elements of real life,” he reflects, going on to describe a notable encounter almost 30 years ago which peaked his interest in crime: “I was phoned up by a police surgeon in Brighton who said, ‘would you come and look at a piece of footage that Sussex Police have seized in a raid with your movie-making hat on? – from my past life [as a producer]’.”
After viewing footage – which appeared to show a girl in her teens being stabbed – the novelist was then asked whether he believed the video to be real or a fake. “That was the start of it, that’s what fascinated me,” adds James.
The new run begins with an adaptation of the 2018 novel Dead If You Don’t, in which a body in a barrel washes up on a Sussex beach. But before he and his sidekick DS Glenn Branson can get their teeth into it, so to speak, they must avert what could be a major tragedy – Brighton police have received a warning concerning a threat to the safety of thousands of people inside a football stadium, and face a race against time to save them.
“When the first episode of Grace aired in 2021, it was a dream come true,” claims James. “It is both heartening and astounding to me that we’re already at series five!
“The continued success of Grace is a testament to the outstanding cast headed by John Simm, and crew and, equally importantly, the fans, who have loved and devoted their time to these characters both on the page and now the screen.”
What’s perhaps even better news, is that series six is already on its way…