Tudor's The Chalk Man to be six-part drama

BBC Studios Production, in association with Nice Media Studios and Windowseat, has secured the rights to develop The Chalk Man by C J Tudor. 

The six-part drama will be adapted by writer Mick Ford and will be produced by BBC Studios Drama. The TV rights are jointly owned by BBC Studios, Nice Media and Windowseat. Executive producers will be Tom Sherry and Priscilla Parish for BBC Studios, Sam Sokolow for Nice Media and Bill Kiely for Windowseat. 

The Chalk Man was published by Michael Joseph in 2018 and is set in the picturesque village of Anderbury. It tells the story of Eddie and his four friends and their teacher, Mr Halloran – who they have christened The Chalk Man — who gave them the idea for the chalk drawings; a way for the friends to leave each other secret messages. The chalk man led them to the dead body of a 17-year-old girl. Thirty years later, Eddie believes the past is behind him – until he receives an envelope containing a stick of chalk and the drawing of a figure he recognises. The story follows the gang during the summer of 1991 and three decades later, as troubled adults who play out those haunting memories all over again.

Sherry said: "Telling stories is at the heart of our work at BBC Studios Drama and C J Tudor’s chilling tale of an adulthood haunted by the past, is a story we knew TV viewers around the world would be gripped by. We’re thrilled to be collaborating with C J Tudor and with our partners Nice Media Studios and Windowseat to bring this thriller to life."

Kiely added: "Windowseat’s strategy to discover first-time authors paid off with C J Tudor’s The Chalk Man. Though The Chalk Man is set in the UK, it is totally relatable to a reader here in the States. We are over the moon to be collaborating with BBC Studios on this series."

Tudor commented: "I am chuffed to bits that The Chalk Man is being developed for TV and couldn’t wish for a better team to bring the book and its characters to life. I’ve had so many readers tell me how much they would love to see The Chalk Man on screen, so this is great news for them and me!"