The Pet Sitter Mysteries (8 x 45’), based on the best-selling novels by Blaize and John Clement, is being developed by ZDF Studios and Sly Fox Productions with writer and creator Julian Unthank (Queens of Mystery, Doc Martin) at the helm.
The eight-part series will be set in Sandbanks on Dorset’s south coast, one of the UK’s most exclusive locations.
“Home to the mega-rich, featuring golden beaches, designer houses and yachts captained by loutish Lottery Winners and reclusive billionaires, Sandbanks is crammed full of glamorous, suntanned, excessively wealthy eccentrics,” says the blurb. “It is also home to Dixie Hemingway, a professional pet-sitter and former policewoman. Living above her brother’s garage, Dixie attempts to rebuild her life after a personal tragedy by working as a pet sitter on the sun-soaked peninsula of Sandbanks. But when a body is found in the mansion of one of her clients, she can’t help but get involved in the investigation. Using her unique insight into the lives and homes of the residents to solve cunning murder mysteries, she often ends up sparring with handsome Detective Inspector Thomas Hampton, while the equally good-looking local solicitor Ethan Crane, also develops hopes of winning Dixie’s heart.”
The Pet Sitter Mysteries will be distributed exclusively by ZDF Studios.
Yi Qiao, Director Drama, ZDF Studios said: “We are delighted to be teaming up again with Sly Fox Productions and Julian Unthank to bring this book series to screen. The Pet Sitter Mysteries promises an irresistible combination of whodunits, romance and soul-searching along with an abundance of adorable pets all set in a beautiful location.”
Former animal trainer in the film industry, Julian Unthank is the creator of Sly Fox Productions’ Emmy-nominated Queens of Mystery, an off-beat, Amélie-esque style take on the traditional world of cosy crime. He is a five-season veteran of ITV’s worldwide hit Doc Martin and the writer of the multi-award-winning Oscar short-listed Love at First Sight, starring John Hurt.
“For years I’ve been looking for a chance to incorporate the knowledge of my former profession with the skills of my current one,” said Unthank. “So, you can imagine my excitement when I came across Blaize and John Clement’s brilliant best-selling Dixie Hemingway crime novels. Not only are they cleverly plotted with a whip-smart central character but the murder mysteries are sharply written and surprisingly subversive, the perfect formula for a modern, off-beat detective series.”
Michael Burns
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