STV Studios, the production company behind the BBC’s award-winning adaption of Elizabeth is Missing and prison drama Screw for Channel 4, has secured the television rights for Natali Simmonds’ debut thriller, Good Girls Die Last, from Emily Hayward Whitlock at The Artists Partnership working in association with Amanda Preston at LBA Literary Agency.
Good Girls Die Last, which will be published by Headline in June 2023, is a darkly comic, feminist thriller, telling the story of Em who, on the day of a record-breaking heatwave, is in a race against the clock to escape a gridlocked London while a serial killer stalks the streets. Em’s life has always been full of men having their own way and today, the scorched city is teeming with them. As Em’s troubled past returns to haunt her, she refuses to let them win. Her defiance leads to shocking consequences that soon spiral wildly out of control.
Good Girls Die Last will be developed by STV Studios’ Head of Drama Development, Claire Armspach and Creative Director of Drama, Sarah Brown.
Recent STV Studios drama productions include the award winning and critically acclaimed productions, Elizabeth is Missing, for which Glenda Jackson was awarded the International Emmy; and The Victim, starring BAFTA winner Kelly MacDonald. The team is currently in production in Glasgow with the second series of Screw, a prison drama for Channel 4 starring Nina Sosanya (His Dark Materials, W1A) and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Derry Girls).
Blockquote open The news is often full of frightening stories, yet rage is not an emotion that women are allowed to express safely. In the novel we see what happens when that control is finally lost. I wanted to show how vulnerable yet strong women can be, and how light we can make the darkest of situations. I’m so thrilled to have Good Girls Die Last developed by the immensely talented team at STV Studios. They really understand the story and I can’t wait to see my characters come to life against the backdrop of a London descending into chaos. Blockquote close
Natali Simmonds
Blockquote open We inhaled Natali’s inventive, compulsive novel that was brimming with searing tension, incredible plot twists and brilliant insight. It’s a story that perfectly captures the ‘so-used-to-it-you-just accept-it’ sexism that women often face on a daily basis. We are thrilled to be bringing this fearless book to the screen. Blockquote close
Sarah Brown Creative Director of Drama, STV Studios
Blockquote open I am so excited that this timely, empowering and unputdownable book has been optioned by the brilliant STV Studios. I gulped it down in one sitting and cannot wait to binge-watch it on screen. Blockquote close
Amanda Preston LBA Literary Agency