Looking Good Dead: Volume 2 (Roy Grace)

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Before writing novels full-time, Peter worked as producer and/or writer on over 25 films as well as creating television shows for Channel 4 and ITV. He admits the low point of his film making career was the comedy, Spanish Fly, starring Terry-Thomas and Leslie Phillips, which he co-wrote and produced and was described by the critic, Barry Norman as, “The least funny British funny film ever made”. His high point was the BAFTA-nominated A Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. Three of his novels, Prophecy, Alchemist and Host have also been filmed for television and ITV television produced the documentary, Babes In The Woods , hosted by Sir Trevor Macdonald ,which was inspired by the non-fiction book of the same title that Peter co-wrote with former Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett. Associate Director credits include: An American In Paris (Dominion Theatre); The Judas Kiss (Brooklyn Academy of Music/Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto); The Scottsboro Boys (Young Vic). TV includes Harley and the Davidsons, Eastenders, Mr. Selfridge, Call the Midwife, The Great Outdoors, Waking the Dead, MI High and Moving Wallpaper. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace has to solve a disturbing murder whilst protecting an innocent eye witness, in this TV tie-in edition of Looking Good Dead, by award winning crime author Peter James.

Even with the domestic drama prioritised, the compromises imposed by the theatre format allows issues such as the morality of concealing information from the police for fear of reprisals to be raised but not really explored. As a result, the stage version of Looking Good Dead does not completely satisfy as a family drama or as a thriller. To an extent, the play is hamstrung by expectations—fans of the original novel will expect to see detective Roy Grace on stage even though he is reduced to a rather colourless character. Top left: Gaynor Faye as Kellie Bryce, Luke Ward-Wilkinson as Max Bryce, Leon Stewart as Branson and Adam Woodyatt as Tom Bryce; top right: Adam Woodyatt as Tom Bryce and Gaynor Faye as Kellie Bryce Peter James happens to be my second favourite author, after the queen that is Val McDermid of course. So I was ecstatic to learn his second novel in the Roy Grace series has been adapted into a stage play. Four of Peter James’s stories have previously been adapted into highly successful stage plays:, The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple, Not Dead Enough and The House On Cold Hill – and now Looking Good Dead! A group of friends on a stag night are involved in a road accident and are killed except the groom, a wealthy Brighton property developer who has vanished. Detective Superintendent Grace is called upon by colleague Detective Sergeant Branson to help. The search and investigation uncover lines of inquiry which involve his bride and his best friend and business partner.

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East 8 became EastEnders and now over 36 years later I have enjoyed many wonderful and different storylines. Looking Good Dead is the fifth of Shaun’s stage adaptations of a Peter James novel, following The House on Cold Hill, The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple and Not Dead Enough. A sixth is in development. An established and successful designer for drama, opera and ballet Michael has collaborated with leading arts companies around the world. Peter pursues many interests in his relaxation time, including his extensive charity work. A self-confessed “petrol head”, Peter races classic cars at circuits around the country and has been a regular at the Goodwood Revival for several years. His enthusiasm remains undimmed after a surviving a horrendous high speed crash at Brands Hatch in 2013, although his publishers and his fans might prefer he took up a somewhat safer past-time – bowls, perhaps? I enjoyed the first in Peter James’s series starring troubled Brighton cop Roy Grace, and LOOKING GOOD DEAD is a sharp and punchy sequel.

There is an attempt to build a mood of gallows humour, although the comment about a pornographer wanting to move upmarket by graduating to ‘snuff’ movies featuring actual murders may not have been intended to sound funny. Adam Woodyatt is the longest serving cast member in “EastEnders” having appeared continuously as Ian Beale since the show began in 1985. For his portrayal of the role he was honoured in 2013 with the Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2015 after the “EastEnders” 30th Anniversary Live episode, Best Actor at the British Soap Awards. “Looking Good Dead” marks Adam’s return to stage in a play for the first time since 1982 as a 13-year-old at the National Theatre in Tom Stoppard’s “On The Razzle”. In addition to “EastEnders” Adam has also appeared on many TV programmes including “Robot Wars”, “Dream House”, “A Question of Sport”, presented “The National Lottery” draw live and last year was a contestant on “Celebrity Masterchef”. He has also previously appeared in the pantomimes “Peter Pan”, “Snow White”, “Aladdin”, “Mother Goose” and “Cinderella”. In May 2021, Grace was commissioned for a second series. Filming began in September 2021 in the West Sussex town of Burgess Hill. The second series adapts the next three novels in the Grace series, Not Dead Enough, Dead Man's Footsteps and Dead Tomorrow. Broadcasting of the second series commenced in the UK on 24 April 2022, with Looking Good Dead as the opening episode. [13]

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Eighteen million people across the globe are familiar with the character of crime writer Peter James’ Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace: a complex man haunted by the disappearance of his own wife, now hell-bent on solving seemingly unsolvable murders and wrongdoings on his own East Sussex coast beat. James penned 18 books in the Roy Grace series, and both the first ( Dead Simple, 2005) and this one, the second in line published in 2006, have been adapted into feature-length films for ITV in the popular Grace series of crime dramas.

John Simm to star in adaptation of Peter James' Grace for ITV, 19 December 2021". Radio Times . Retrieved 6 March 2021. Rise up all you missing theatre goers , be brave, get out there, live life and fill those empty seats this week , as this excellent crafted drama executed by all this creative cast deserve your full theatre support Unfortunately, as is likely the case with any crime story which makes its way to the stage, any character introduced to the audience is likely to have a significant part to play in the rest of the show. So, when American investor Jonas Kent (Ian Houghton) offers Bryce a solution to his cash flow problems, the convenience of it all is so obvious and stark – like a lot of this production – that the idea that he isn’t involved in the criminal deeds is extremely hard to believe. Forthcoming theatre projects include The Forsytes, written with Lin Coghlan, and an English version of a Mexican comedy Thinking Too Loud. Past plays include Ruling Passions, To Serve Them All My Days and How Green Was My Valley.The first half is slow as we get to know the characters and premise, but after the interval I was completely hooked. The investigation suddenly gets into full swing and you start to put the pieces together. And even though I made some accurate guesses, I did not expect the main twist! A thriller cast Overall, Looking Good Dead feels a little more lighthearted than I’m guessing James intended it to be, and a bit more school-play than you’d want from a serious thriller. When the serious thrills within the tale are allowed to come to the fore, they look good indeed; elsewhere, though, the production tends to overdo the Scooby-Doo in terms of inspiration for breathing theatrical life into this menacing drama. The discovery of skeletal remains in a Brighton storm drain and a young girl being hunted by an armed hitman appear to be unconnected, until the two cases unexpectedly collide in the most unimaginable way. Meanwhile, a former colleague of Grace's from the Met, Cassian Pewe ( James D'Arcy) has been sent down to assist the team, and immediately sets about re-opening the investigation into the disappearance of Grace's wife. As the two come to loggerheads, it soon becomes a battle of wills as old enemies must unite to save Abby Morton (Katie Clarkson-Hill) and her elderly mother from those desperate to recover a sheet of priceless stamps. When businesswoman Katya Bishop is brutally murdered, all the evidence points to her businessman husband, Kit ( Arthur Darvill), especially when his girlfriend is also found dead in a similar manner. The only problem being, Kit has a solid alibi for both murders - so how could he possibly be in two places at once? Meanwhile, Grace becomes friendly with new forensic pathologist, Cleo Moray ( Zoe Tapper), but their relationship gets off to a bumpy start when she becomes the latest target of a hitman following every moment of Grace and his team. Could Kit Bishop be connected? And if so, will Grace manage to stop him before he commits any further crimes?