How DI Andy Horton was pitched for TV

Back in the mists of time, the DI Andy Horton Solent Murder Mysteries almost made it to the small screen.  Sadly, because of staff changes at the TV channel in the offing for it, the wrong timing and that missing element of luck it fell at the final hurdle. However, never say die, and who knows, there may be time yet!

I thought readers might like a glimpse at how the DI Andy Horton series was pitched for TV.  This is some of what was presented to the bods of the small screen, no names mentioned....!

“DI Andy Horton is only happy when he’s working or sailing round his beloved Pompey coastline. More likely to be wearing a buoyancy aid than a stab vest, he is not so much maverick cop as a really good detective. A low-tech kind of guy who doesn’t even own a TV (and anyway there’s no room for it on his tiny boat Nutmeg), he hardly ever wears a suit (only to court) and keeps his one tie stuffed in the pocket of his sailing jacket.

Nowadays, he trusts one person in the world, his sergeant, DS Barney Cantelli. Their lives couldn’t be more different – Horton lives alone on his small yacht and hasn’t seen his young daughter properly for six months after his marriage breakdown while Cantelli’s five children run him ragged at home – but they have a mutual respect for each other despite the Sergeant being older than the Inspector, and theirs is the most loyal partnership in the Hampshire Serious Crime Squad.”

Wallander meets Howard’s Way (anyone remember Howards Way? I do).

“Horton’s patch covers the bustling docks of Portsmouth - Europe’s busiest port – to the calm corners of the Isle of Wight and his work can take him to the dark backstreets of the naval town or the bright lights of Cowes Week. Our perspective on each case is uniquely Horton’s. We see everything through his eyes, experiencing each crime with him, discovering each twist at the same time as him.

The unique angle of each mystery being connected to the sea can truly set this series apart, making it look and feel distinctive from existing urban police procedurals or rural detective shows. The sailing element can make the series into a visual treat and the setting of the Solent brings a landscape to screen that is rarely seen in British drama and also reaches an under-served audience.

The twists, turns and body count of the novels can easily sustain sixty minutes of drama and you can never tell until the very end who’s going to be the murderer - the stories are genuine mysteries. The plots are complex but the characters are very human, dealing with real life issues and raw emotions...”

“Rowson’s Horton series has been acclaimed in the States as being on a par with Joseph Wambaugh – the grand master of the police story – creator and consultant for Police Story, television series, NBC-TV, 1973-1977 and for The Blue Knight, television series, NBC-TV, 1977. This makes Rowson’s Horton extremely popular with American readers and will attract big American and British television audiences. 

Like Wambaugh, Rowson has been hailed as “redefining the genre of police drama” by setting it against the atmospheric backdrop of the ever changing sea.  Her cops are tough yet frightened; they’re fallible and forced to protect citizens who despise them. Rowson gets into the minds and guts of the dregs of society.

Additionally her Horton series has been likened to the great Ed McBain, whereas McBain laid down the formula that would define the urban police novel to this day, including the big, bad city as a character in the drama; Rowson does the same with the seascape and port of Portsmouth.  

Her multiple story lines; swift, cinematic exposition;  tough, cynical yet sympathetic police officers speak dialogue so real that she could be on the streets of Portsmouth with them ensuring the successful transformation from print to screen.”

And there you have it. Perhaps one day a successful transition from print to screen will happen.

And who will play DI Andy Horton? Suggestions on a postcard (as they say).....