Rowson's Popular Solent Marine Mystery series featuring the enigmatic sailing DI Andy Horton optioned for TV

I'm thrilled to announce that the  DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime series has been optioned by one of the UK’s leading television production companies, Lime Pictures, who are seeking to bring the enigmatic sailing detective to life on screen. The series of currently eleven novels is set in the Solent area on the South Coast of England.


In January I met up with  Rebecca Hodgson, Head of Drama for Lime Pictures and Jo Combes, Drama Development Executive, at the World famous BAFTA club in London for lunch to discuss Andy Horton and the marine mystery crime series. It was great to meet them and exciting to hear how much they loved Horton and the crime novels.

Pauline Rowson outside BAFTA club for lunch with TV people -DI Andy Horton Marine Series

 Rebecca Hodgson, Head of Drama for Lime Pictures, says, ‘DI Andy Horton is a returning detective who can cut through the competition. His character is fascinatingly knotty, with his difficult childhood, troubled marriage and chequered career, and a detective who lives on a small boat and rides a motorbike is a fresh reboot of the TV detectives that we already know. We are confident that the intriguing partnership of Horton and Cantelli will attract a fantastic cast."

Pauline Rowson in the BAFTA Club London for meeting with the TV people re: DI Andy Horton Marine Crime Series

With a production base in Liverpool, Lime Pictures is the biggest independent production company outside of London and produces multiplatform content for global audiences. Lime is the home of the UK’s most talked about television – from cutting-edge formats to multi award winning, long-running drama. With a stable of quality writers and exciting directing talent, Lime has gained a reputation as a first class production house. The company works with big talent to deliver distinctive, ground-breaking projects.


This is an exciting development for the DI Horton crime series but there is a long way to go yet.  The broadcasters have also got to fall in love with Andy Horton and the Solent area. Here's hoping that they will and that one day soon many more people will enjoy the exploits of my flawed and rugged sailing, motorbike riding detective the hunky lost soul of Andy Horton.

Published by Severn House, the DI Andy Horton crime novels have been hailed in the UK and the USA as "exemplary police procedurals”, "cleverly plotted”, “complex and multi-layered.”

Rebecca Hodgson, for Lime Pictures, adds, ‘The unique angle of each DI Horton mystery being connected to the sea can truly set this series apart, making it look and feel distinctive from existing urban police procedurals or rural detective shows. The sailing element can make the series into a visual treat and the setting of historic Portsmouth, Hayling Island, and the Isle of Wight brings a landscape to screen that is rarely seen in drama and also reaches an underserved audience.’