British crime novel to be turned into Chinese TV series

A novel by the British writer Jeffrey Archer will be adapted into a drama series for Chinese television in another example of the expanding ties between China and the United Kingdom in the cultural and creative industry.

The crime-thriller False Impression became a best-seller in 2005. It is an engrossing tale that spans the globe and describes Vincent van Gogh's famed painting Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear going missing.

Archer is one of Britain's most famous novelists. He has sold around 330 million books worldwide.

The British producer Wilson Worldwide Production, which is also known as WWP, has reached a deal with Canada's New Franchise Media, which owns the television and film rights to many of Archer's works, to make possible the adaptation for the Chinese TV market.

Josh Wilson, CEO of the production company, said: "We plan to produce a story that is layered and exciting. Jeffrey Archer has a penchant for producing page-turning books and that was something we really wanted to translate in to must-see TV."

Archer expressed his delight at the deal.

"I am thrilled that WWP and New Franchise Media will be producing False Impression and am intrigued to see how it is received in China," he said.

As a London-based film and TV production company, WWP has set its eyes on Asia and especially the Chinese market in recent years.