BRIGHTON'S worldwide bestselling fictional detective Roy Grace is set to make a long-awaited appearance on UK screens.

Author Peter James said a television programme revolving around his much-loved character was likely to be in production in 2017. The Roy Grace book series, the twelfth of which Love You Dead is released in paperback today, has sold over 18 million copies worldwide.

Fans of the character have often wondered why Grace has taken so long to be filmed given that the likes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Ian Rankin’s Rebus have gone before him as detectives adapted from page to screen.

But James’s creation is finally to get a television outing after the author wrested greater control over the adaptation amid fears that his character would be changed from the one his readers know and love.

“It’s really exciting,” said the 68 year-old. “I think we could well be in production sometime next year. The most likely (channel) would be ITV.”

He added: “I finally seem to be steering it around to the way I want to be. I would certainly have a lot of creative control.”

Mr James stressed that making a television programme out of such a popular series of novels was a risky venture, though.

“Part of the reason it’s taking so long is that I was much rather it was never made at all than made badly. If something is bad it can really hurt you. Look at the numbers – you can be a bestselling author in the UK with 350,000 books, but if 350,000 people watched the TV programme you’d hang yourself.”

The author announced in a blog in 2008 that he had signed a deal with ITV to produce a television series starting with an adaptation of his novel Dead Simple, which fell through. Mr James said that television companies had pitched some strange ideas in relation to a Roy Grace series over the years.

“I got a call from one of the three year-olds at the BBC saying they wanted to get Grace transferred to Aberdeen police. I said, ‘has anybody read the book?’ I told them: ‘Foxtrot Oscar.’ About five years ago ITV said they wanted to make Grace a woman. That’s what you’re up against.”

Speaking about the future of his character, Mr James said that his next, recently finished book features a chase scene that climaxes on the i360. Looking further ahead, the author said he already had the next three Roy Grace novels planned.