History Press signs Wylie's 'brilliant' LSD deep-dive as ITV Studios options rights

James Wylie's "brilliant" The Microdot Gang: The Rise and Fall of the LSD Network That Turned on the World has been snapped by The History Press and optioned by ITV Studios. 

Creative director Patrick Spence obtained TV rights, in a deal brokered by Lucy Fawcett at Sheil Land Associates, while Laura Perehinec, publishing director of The History Press, bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Sonia Land of the same agency. The Microdot Gang will be published in May 2022.

Perehinec said: "I’m delighted to be working with James again after our recent success with Nazi Wives. The Microdot Gang tells the incredible story of the biggest drug bust in UK history, involving some six million tabs of LSD and the unlikely group who came together to supply them to the world. It’s a tale that stretches across the globe, from the hippy West Coast of America, to the febrile Italy of the Red Brigades and the quiet hills and pastures of rural Wales, featuring gurus and psychiatrists, CIA agents and undercover cops, alongside some of the most remarkable pop culture moments in recent history along the way. 

"James has written a brilliant, lively account which uncovers the complex full picture for the first time and showcases his laser eye for the vignettes that bring such stories to life."