Ben Aaronovitch's first novel "Rivers of London" is being given the TV treatment by the BBC in 2015 - with a seven-part series commissioned for later in the year. Centring around the adventures of a young Metropolitan Police officer named Peter Grant, he unexpectedly meets a ghost and is then recruited into a specialist branch of the Met that deals with the supernatural. Put in the path of the last wizard in England, Inspector Nightingale, Grant himself becomes a part of the world of magic. The Selling Point: Aaronovitch has already penned two "Doctor Who" episodes and his brilliance in writing the novel in the first place should translate on to the screen. The Concerns: Will it try and become too Harry Potter meets Doctor Who or will this crime fantasy series really attempt to go for something completely unique?
11. Humans (2015)
Originally intended as a collaboration between Channel 4 and Xbox Entertainment Studios, once Microsoft pulled out it was AMC who had to come on board in order to ensure this project was seen through to its conclusion. The eight-part drama is based on Swedish series "Real Humans" and it takes place in a parallel world where the most-popular gadget is a "Synth" - essentially a robotic servant that looks almost identical to normal human beings. The eerily lifelike robots are changing the ways humans live - but is it for the better, or worse? The Selling Point: Human-like robots have always been something of a fascination - mainly due to the fact it is potentially how the future world will look - and so sci-fi in this form is always likely to do well. The Concerns: Real Humans is celebrated in Sweden, but will Channel 4 and AMC really be able to capture the essence of the original?
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
