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Writers including PD James and Anthony Horowitz take on classic characters

Mark Lawson reports on the authors who have taken on another novelist's characters, with guests including PD James, Anthony Horowitz, Jeffery Deaver and Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Mark Lawson talks to novelists who have taken on another writer's characters, including P D James, who wrote a Pride and Prejudice sequel, Anthony Horowitz, creator of a new Sherlock Holmes story, Jeffery Deaver, author of the latest James Bond book, and Frank Cottrell Boyce, who took on another of Ian Fleming's creations - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

And what happens to a novel left unfinished when a writer dies? Incomplete manuscripts left by British novelist Beryl Bainbridge and American writer Michael Crichton were posthumously brought to publication this year, with the help of editor Brendan King and scientific journalist Richard Preston respectively. They discuss how they approached this poignant task, and A N Wilson, writer and friend of Beryl Bainbridge, reflects on the process.

Producer Katie Langton.

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30 minutes

Broadcast

  • Fri 30 Dec 2011 19:15

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