We are delighted to announce that ITV has commissioned a new series of GRACE, the popular television show based on the internationally bestselling Roy Grace series by Peter James.
John Simm will reprise his role as Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, with Richie Campbell, Zoe Tapper and Craig Parkinson also returning to their roles of DS Glenn Branson, Cleo Morey, and DS Norman Potting respectively.
In an interview with the Radio Times, John Simm revealed that he’s ‘more than happy to keep playing [Roy Grace]’ for years to come, saying: ‘I've played loads of different characters, and I'm sure there'll be loads more coming up, I'll do other things as well. But Roy Grace is such an intriguing part and to have the whole world of the novels to immerse myself in has been invaluable. I'm more than happy to keep playing him if people want to keep watching the show.’
The new series will consist of three feature-length films, with episodes one and three written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip, and the second penned by Ed Whitmore.
Roy Grace hit TV screens around the world for the first time in 2021 when ITV’s much-anticipated adaptation, written by the critically acclaimed screenwriter and ENDEAVOUR creator Russell Lewis, premiered in March. The first episode, based on the first Roy Grace book DEAD SIMPLE, was watched by 8.8 million viewers in the UK and has since aired in countries including the USA, Canada, Japan, Norway and Finland.
Roy Grace returned to ITV in April 2022, starting with LOOKING GOOD DEAD, which like the subsequent episode NOT DEAD ENOUGH, topped the charts as most-watched UK TV show of the night. DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS followed, and DEAD TOMORROW will be broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 22 May. All the latest episodes of GRACE are available to watch on BritBox and ITV Hub.
GRACE is produced by Tall Story Pictures (part of ITV Studios) and Vaudeville Productions. Along with Patrick Schweitzer (Tall Story Pictures), Andrew O’Connor (Vaudeville Productions) and Paul Sandler (Vaudeville Productions), author Peter James will be executive producing the new films. ITV Drama Commissioner, Huw Kennair Jones, will oversee production from ITV’s perspective.
The eighteenth Roy Grace novel, PICTURE YOU DEAD, will be published in hardback on the 29th of September by Pan Macmillan, and is available to pre-order now. All the Roy Grace novels are being released in new TV tie-in editions as well, as the series progresses. See more about the whole series in order here.
Praise for GRACE:
‘GRACE has earned its coveted spot among ITV’s crime perennials.’ – Gabriel Tate, The Telegraph
‘Simm is excellent as the melancholic copper and should get his wish to play the role for years to come.’ – Joe Clay, The Sunday Times, Critic’s Choice
‘There is a reason why Peter James’s novels have sold all over the world, and one of the main ones is that… Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is a well-written and believable character… Simm makes for a likeable lead and the atmospheric Brighton setting is well used.’ – Sarah Hughes, The Sunday Telegraph, The Very Best of the Week Ahead
‘The intricate, twist-laden plot, atmospheric south-coast location and impressive performances mean that GRACE is likely to be a hit with fans of the books and newcomers alike.’ – The Sun, Pick of the Day
‘‘Grace and Branson’s race to find Michael made for truly nail-biting TV and there were great performances, with Simm as watchable as ever as the shrewd, yet vulnerable Grace… With more to come later this year… I’ll certainly be tuning in.’ – Gwendolyn Smith, The i
‘Simm gives [Roy Grace] a winning sense of humour beneath all the grit… Campbell is smooth foil, playing Branson quietly enough that Simm doesn’t have to be enormous to stand out. Brighton’s mix of pretty shoreline, faded glamour, criminal past and contemporary hipsterism makes it a ripe spot for some murder. The action feels rooted in its setting … It’s almost inconceivable Simm hasn’t already been in a long running franchise… and I expect the wait’s over.’ – Ed Cumming, The Independent
‘The first TV adaptation of the first of bestselling author Peter James’ Brighton-based Roy Grace detective novels impressed on its debut last year. But with the second episode last week, there was a huge sense that the whole thing stepped up a gear. The actors actually started to become those characters that we have been reading about across 17 brilliant novels so far; and importantly, we also started to get a genuine sense too of the relationships between them. Tonight, the Grace series, with its third episode, took maybe its biggest leap so far: the one that fully establishes it as a thrilling series which is now fully into in its stride – a series with the legs to run and run for as long as Peter James is prepared to keep writing the novels… The series is now absolutely required Sunday night viewing… complex without being convoluted; at the extreme ends of human behaviour but also thoroughly rooted in our humanity.’ – Phil Hewitt, Sussex Express
‘LOOKING GOOD DEAD is an undeniably fun ride. The central mystery itself is gripping and well-paced, doling out bits of information at just the right time to keep things engaging, while Simm and Campbell make for a strong on-screen pairing. Simm in particular is naturally charismatic in the role, making Grace at once unknowable yet also deeply empathetic at the same time… action sequences are thrillingly executed, and the overall story resolution is satisfying, while leaving enough character threads hanging to allow for development across the rest of the season… I was hooked and came away wanting more.’ – James Hibbs, Radio Times
‘It’s so, so good. I nearly missed my train stop!’ – Zoe Ball, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 2, interviewing John Simm who plays Roy Grace in GRACE on ITV
About Peter James:
Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels, repeatedly occupying the Number One slot on the Sunday Times bestseller charts in both hardback and paperback. Peter writes both thriller standalones and the hugely popular Brighton-set Roy Grace series, now adapted for ITV.
Peter’s books have been translated into thirty-eight languages, with worldwide sales of over twenty-one million copies and his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has given him 19 consecutive Sunday Times Number Ones. In 2015 WH Smith customers voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he was awarded the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. In 2018 he received a Specsavers Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award. Peter James has also written two books based on true crime stories, with former senior detective Graham Bartlett.
The 16th Roy Grace, FIND THEM DEAD, was a UK Number 1 in both hardback and paperback, spending four consecutive weeks at Number 1 in paperback, and reaching Number 5 in Australia and Canada too. In 2021 Peter James repeated the hardback and paperback Top Ten double with LEFT YOU DEAD and standalone thriller I FOLLOW YOU.
Successful nationwide tours of the stage plays of THE PERFECT MURDER (2014), DEAD SIMPLE (2015,) NOT DEAD ENOUGH (2017) and THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL (2019) have packed theatres in dozens of British cities, and garnered magnificent reviews. Several other Peter James novels are optioned for film and in further development.
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