See-Saw Films, known for Slow Horses, has acquired the rights to adapt the Lovejoy novels into a new TV series. The project aims for a contemporary reimagining of the stories about a roguish antiques dealer. The original BBC series starring Ian McShane aired from 1986 to 1994.
See-Saw Films, the production company behind Slow Horses and Heartstopper, has secured the rights to Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy novels following a bidding war. The novels, written by Dr. John Grant under the pseudonym Jonathan Gash, span 24 books published between 1977 and 2008, including titles such as The Judas Pair, The Grail Tree, and Faces in the Pool. The stories are set in East Anglia and follow Lovejoy, a charismatic antiques dealer with a talent for spotting genuine artifacts and exposing scams, often pivoting to detective work against rivals and criminals.
The original BBC adaptation aired from 1986 to 1994, running for six series and 71 episodes. It starred Ian McShane as the eponymous anti-hero, alongside Chris Jury, Dudley Sutton, Phyllis Logan, and others including Celia Imrie and Malcolm Tierney. Adapted by Ian La Frenais, the series became a hit in the UK and on PBS in the US, establishing McShane as a household name. There is no confirmation yet on whether McShane will return for the new version, which has not secured a network or streamer.
The new series promises a grittier take, stripping away the nostalgia of the 1980s adaptation to capture the 'unrulier spirit' of the books. Executive producers include Lisa Gilchrist, Helen Gregory, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Simon Gillis from See-Saw, along with Grant and his agent Lisa Moylett. Moylett stated, "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 deal was negotiated by Simon Gillis and Laura Mazzola for See-Saw, and Sheila David for Grant. Variety's sister publication Deadline first reported the news.
