Stephen Mangan will play Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a new ITV drama, Houdini & Doyle, in which the Sherlock Holmes creator will be joined by Harry Houdini as an odd couple pair of super sleuths.
Mangan, star of Episodes and Green Wing, will be joined by Michael Weston (House, Six Feet Under) as the master illusionist in the 10-part series that will premiere on ITV’s sister channel, ITV Encore.
A story of “real life friends, real life adversaries and real life crime solvers”, the drama pitches them as a mismatched detective duo, Conan Doyle a passionate believer in the paranormal, Houdini refusing to believe that there is anything supernatural about magic.
“This fundamental difference between the two men leads to conflict, humour and competition,” said ITV on Wednesday.
“High-minded competition in the pursuit of the truth, and ridiculous petty competition – because they’re guys. But despite all this, they need each other. Doyle needs Houdini because he is gullible. Houdini needs Doyle because he is wrong.”
It is the latest sign of our enduring fascination with Sherlock Holmes, from BBC1’s update starring Benedict Cumberbatch (and subsequent US reboot with Johnny Lee Miller) to BBC Films’ Mr Holmes, starring Ian McKellan.
Earlier this year ITV also showed an adaptation of Julian Barnes’ Arthur and George, in which Conan Doyle took a central role, played by Martin Clunes.
Houdini & Doyle, which will air next year, is executive produced by David Shore, creator of House, the long-running Hugh Laurie medical drama, which ended three years ago.
A UK/Canada co-production made by Big Talk Productions (Rev, Shaun of the Dead) in the UK and Shaftesbury in Canada, it is written and created by Shore’s long-time collaborator David Hoselton and Canadian screenwriter David Titcher.
ITV said the drama would “draw heavily on the rich history of the period”.
“At the turn of the 20th century the Metropolitan police, mired in the ways of the 19th century, were overwhelmed with bizarre and often inexplicable cases so they turned to outsiders, including, believe it or not, Houdini and Doyle, who collaborated with New Scotland Yard on some unsolved and inexplicable crimes,” it said.
“What can we believe? What should we believe? Is cynicism to be admired or is it what makes us human? Is reason the antithesis of hope?”
The series will co-star Canadian newcomer Rebecca Liddiard as constable Adelaide Stratton, the first female PC ever to work for the Met police, and Tim McInnerny as inspector Horace Merring.
