Castlefield to adapt Hunter's DI Fawley franchise for TV

Castlefield has scooped the rights to adapt Cara Hunter's DI Fawley crime novels into a TV drama.

The company, part of Fremantle, acquired rights for the series from Emily Hayward Whitlock from the Artists Partnership on behalf of Anna Power at Johnson & Alcock.

Hunter's four-book, Oxford-set, series launched in 2018 with Close to Home (Viking), which became Penguin Random House UK's biggest selling e-book of 2018. According to the publishers, the series has sold over one million copies across the UK and 25 other territories worldwide.

It is now planned as a multi-episode series by Castlefield, which was launched in June 2019 by m.d. Hilary Martin and creative director Simon Judd. The pair, who previously worked at BBC Drama North, have developed and produced shows including BAFTA-winning “In the Flesh”, James Herbert’s "The Secret of Crickley Hall” and BBC One crime series “In the Dark”.

Hunter said: "I’ve always ‘seen’ the Fawley books play out in my head as I write them, and the style I developed for them was a deliberate attempt to replicate the feel and pace of the best TV crime – the short scenes, the fast pace, and the changing points of view. Hilary and Simon completely ‘get’ what the books are all about and have a wonderful feel for the characters. I can’t think of a better producer for the series than Castlefield.”

Martin and Judd added: “We are so thrilled to be joining forces with the brilliantly talented Cara Hunter to bring her hit novels to the screen. Cara collides noisy, epic crime stories with vivid, visceral characters that you just can’t look away from. Her razor-sharp depiction of contemporary life is a gift and we can’t wait to get cracking.”