The roguish antiques dealer ‘Lovejoy’ could be heading back to television, as the production company behind ‘Slow Horses’ has secured the rights to adapt the beloved series of novels into a brand-new TV drama.
According to reports, See-Saw Films has won a competitive bidding war to develop a fresh adaptation of the ‘Lovejoy’ books, written under the pen name Jonathan Gash by Dr John Grant. The character was previously brought to life in the long-running BBC series ‘Lovejoy’, which aired from 1986 to 1994 and starred Ian McShane (Deadwood, American Gods) as the charming but morally slippery antiques dealer.
Set in East Anglia, the story follows Lovejoy, a charismatic antiques expert with an uncanny knack for spotting genuine artefacts and identifying fakes. While working the antiques trade, he often finds himself drawn into mysteries and criminal schemes, shifting from dealer to reluctant detective as he outmanoeuvres rivals, criminals and sometimes even the police.
The original BBC series ran for eight years and 70 episodes, also starring Chris Jury (Dangerfield), Dudley Sutton (EastEnders), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey) and Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). It became one of the BBC’s most popular drama exports during its run, turning McShane into a household name.
The new project aims to go back to the source material rather than simply recreating the original show. See-Saw said it plans a “contemporary reimagining of the Lovejoy novels that will strip away the nostalgia of the 1980s adaptation and return to the unrulier spirit of the books.”
The novels themselves span 24 entries published between 1977 and 2008, including titles such as The Judas Pair, The Grail Tree, and Faces in the Pool, and are known for their gritty humour and morally ambiguous lead character.
Lisa Moylett, agent for Grant, said in a statement:
“Jonathan Gash created an extraordinarily vivid and complex Lovejoy. A morally ambiguous, often unpleasant anti-hero brought to life through taut prose and page-turning stories steeped in the shadowy world of antiques. It was essential that any new adaptation kept the books front and centre. See-Saw’s bold, assured vision, led by Lisa Gilchrist and Helen Gregory, demonstrated exactly how to preserve the books’ wit and grit while reimagining them for today’s audience.”
The series is being developed by See-Saw executives Lisa Gilchrist, Helen Gregory, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Simon Gillis. Moylett and Grant will also serve as executive producers.
At the moment, the project does not yet have a broadcaster or streaming home attached, and there is no word on whether Ian McShane might be involved in the new version.
‘Lovejoy’ is currently classed as ‘in development’ so may, or may not, make it to series. We’ll let you know when we hear more!
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