Merrily Watkins author and broadcaster Phil Rickman dies aged 74
Phil Rickman, the author of the Merrily Watkins novels, died on Tuesday 29th October at the age of 74, his publisher Corvus—which is part of Atlantic Books—has confirmed. He is survived by his wife Carol.
Lancashire-born Rickman was the author of 27 novels, including two under the name Will Kingdom and two as Thom Madley, as well as short stories and non-fiction. His debut novel was Candlenight, which was published by Duckworth in 1991 and later reissued by Corvus.
He is best known for the Merrily Watkins novels, a crime fiction series with supernatural elements set in the Welsh borders. Beginning with The Wine of Angels (Corvus), the series spans 15 novels, with a 16th, The Echo of Crows, slated for release by Corvus in 2025. The books were adapted into a three-part ITV drama featuring Anna Maxwell Martin in 2015.
Having started his working life as a journalist and broadcaster, Rickman also presented the BBC Radio Wales programme "Phil the Shelf", which featured book news, author interviews and advice for unpublished writers.
He also often attended the Hay Festival, as he lived in a farmhouse near Hay-on-Wye.
Rickman’s current editor, Corvus publishing director Sarah Hodgson, said: "I first encountered Phil down the line from a studio at Broadcasting House in London when I participated in an episode of ‘Phil the Shelf’ many years ago and had no inkling that I would one day have the privilege of publishing his work. He was known for his kindness and gentleness of spirit, and he had a unique creative vision. His loss will be felt deeply by all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him, and by his many readers around the world."
His agents Ed Wilson and Andrew Hewson at Johnson & Alcock said that Rickman was "a unique and wonderful man", adding: "Crime writing has lost a true one-off in Phil Rickman—a writer whose kindness and generosity, both with fans and other writers, was as well-known as his brilliant books. His career spanned decades and genres—from the early horror novels, to crime and supernatural thrillers, YA novels (before the term ‘YA’ existed) and even historical, with his two brilliant Dr Dee novels [Corvus]."
Nicolas Cheetham, m.d. of Head of Zeus, who was previously Rickman’s long-term publisher, said: "Phil’s Merrily Watkins novels are a masterclass in how to write a series and Phil is entirely responsible for my love of big books, big casts and multiple instalments—not to mention writers doing something just a little to the left of the genre mainstream."
