Richard Osman says he felt like he was « cheating » on his beloved Thursday Murder Club characters when writing his new standalone thriller.
The four novels in his series featuring former spy Elizabeth, ex-union activist Ron, former nurse Joyce and retired psychiatrist Ibrahim, who meet weekly to solve cold cases at a luxury retirement village in Kent, have all been global bestsellers.
They are being brought to life in a Netflix film produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Christopher Columbus, which started shooting last month.
But Osman, a guest at the recent Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, put his book series on hold for a year to write We Solve Murders, which features a father and daughter detective duo and is set for release in September.
The Pointless creator, 53, told the festival – which is supported by the Sunday Express – that writing the book « felt like I was cheating on my other characters, it felt like I was having an affair ».
He added: « I made peace with myself in thinking the Thursday Murder Club characters are still there. »
The movie sees Dame Helen Mirren as Elizabeth, Pierce Brosnan as Ron, Celia Imrie as Joyce and Sir Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim. Out next year, Osman said: « It is different to the film I would have written but it’s fantastic to see what an expert like Columbus and those actors can create. »
