Cannon's 'Elsie' to be TV drama

Joanna Cannon's newly published Three Things About Elsie (The Borough Press) is to be developed into a TV drama by Red Planet Pictures, the makers of BBC One's "Death In Paradise".

The story focuses on 84-year-old Florence who is living in sheltered accommodation when an unsettling mystery from her past comes to light. The tale draws on the author’s experiences working as a psychiatrist and with people on the fringes of society, exploring memory, friendship and old age.

The deal was brokered by Luke Speed of Curtis Brown Group on behalf of Sue Armstrong from the C+W Agency. The series will be executive produced by Belinda Campbell, joint managing director or Red Planet Pictures.

Cannon is the author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep (The Borough Press) which was the best-selling debut fiction paperback by a UK author of 2017. It has sold 189,585 copies in paperback and 23,255 in hardback, according to Nielsen BookScan. Her second novel Three Things About Elsie was released on 11th January and so far has sold 7,671 copies in hardback.

Cannon said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Red Planet on bringing Three Things About Elsie to the screen. It's a dream come true to see your words transformed into a script, and I can't think of a better partnership to guide Florence and Elsie on their new journey.”

Campbell said: “Three Things About Elsie is an incredibly moving story about what it is to grow older, friendship and the importance of living in the moment. We were all enthralled by the story and jumped at the chance to adapt it for television.”