See Saw Films has won a bidding war for the rights to adapt the Lovejoy novels for television

The previous adaptation ran on BBC One from 1984-96 and starred Ian McShane.

What do we know about the Lovejoy reboot

Obviously it’s early days, but the news piece from Deadline quotes See Saw as saying they intend to create a:

contemporary reimagining of the novels that will strip away the nostalgia of the 1980s adaptation and return to the unrulier spirit of the books

In terms of the books, the novels were written by John Grant under the name Jonathan Gash. There are 24 novels, with the main character being a classic loveable rogue with a reputation in the antiques trade as a “divvy”, meaning one with an almost supernatural talent for recognising exceptional items as well as for distinguishing fakes or forgeries from genuine antiques. We have no information on which books will be adapted, but the first (The Judas Pair) was adapted as the fifth episode of the BBC series.

The BBC series ran for 71 episodes and was adapted by Ian La Frenais (Likely Lads, Porridge and numerous other show with Dick Clement).

See Saw films are behind multi-award winning Apple TV show Slow Horses. Expect plenty of comparisons once casting is announced.