Anthony Horowitz talks BBC crime show ‘New Blood’

Anthony Horowitz talks so fast he could win an Olympic medal for it.

It’s early August when he rings tabloid! to discuss his British drama, New Blood. It’s about two junior investigators and second-generation immigrants, Stefan Kowolski and Arash Sayyad, who solve crimes in London. UAE audiences can watch it on OSN Play starting on Thursday, and BBC First in November.

It’s just the latest from Horowitz, an OBE-awarded writer and a staple of modern British literature. Last year, he penned Trigger Mortis, the most recent James Bond book. Before that, two Sherlock Holmes novels — House of Silk and Moriarty.

Young readers know him for Alex Rider, his ongoing teen spy series. TV viewers recognise him as the creator of Foyle’s War, Collision and Injustice.

At 61, Horowitz shows no signs of stopping: he’s 50,000 words into the next instalment of Alex Rider, he’s remaking Collision into a 10-part series for an American audience and, in October, he’s releasing Magpie Murders, a book that pays homage to old-school crime writing.

So who can blame him for speaking so quickly? He clearly has no time to waste.

Horowitz tells us why he’s never fallen victim to a blank page, and offers plenty of TV show recommendations to fuel our couch potato lifestyle.

Mark Strepan and Ben Tavassoli in New Blood. Photos courtesy of BBC First

What is New Blood about?

It’s a crime and police adventure show with a twist. The two main characters are far younger than ones you’re normally used to seeing. One is half-Iranian, and one is half-Polish, so they’re quite unusual protagonists. The aim was to create a show that was fun.

Was it a deliberate choice to have them come from where they come from?

Yes, very much so. I wanted them to be slightly outside the establishment. I like the idea that they’re not so easy to define. They are — to a certain extent — outsiders. They’re young, unattached and struggling with their careers. They’re very much part of the Y generation.

What did the actors, Mark Strepan and Ben Tavassoli, bring to the table that surprised you?

First of all, I absolutely insisted that we should find the real thing. We could have cast anybody to play the part that Mark took and pretended he was half-Polish, but I really wanted to get the real deal, and we were very lucky that we got two actors that fit exactly. Mark’s grandmother is Polish, and Ben’s mother is Iranian. What they brought to the table was that they are very good actors. And secondly, when they came together, they had a fantastic chemistry … A bromance.

Can we expect a season two?

I don’t know, to be honest with you. I haven’t heard yet — I’m a bit concerned, because I should have heard by now.

What TV series have caught your attention recently?

I don’t even know where to start. Happy Valley is one. Sally Wainwright is just a brilliant writer. The Night Manager, the John le Carre adaptation, shows you how ambitious television can be now — how big scale, how like a Bond film. There’s Line of Duty, Jed Mercurio’s show on BBC, another absolutely brilliant show. And then of course there’s so much coming in from America that’s worth watching. I just finished Stranger Things, which I enjoyed; a sort of return to ‘70s angsty television, [inspired by] Stephen King [and] Steven Spielberg. I’ve been watching the Good Wife, which is a solid, intelligent, intellectually challenging drama. It’s a golden age of television, and there’s an awful lot around.

I want to ask about Trigger Mortis, which came out last year. How much creative freedom do you have when you’re commissioned to do something like that?

Pretty much total creative freedom. Obviously, for Trigger Mortis, I was working for the Ian Fleming estate, and there are certain rules. There are certain things that a character cannot do or should not do … But in terms of creating the story, the characters, the flow of the action, the dialogue, I was given great freedom.

You also wrote two Sherlock Holmes books. What were the reactions you got from Sherlock fans?

The thing that made me happiest about the two Sherlock Holmes books, and the James Bond book, was that the core fans — and let’s not forget that both Holmes and Bond have millions of fans around the world who are very serious about these original works — weren’t upset. They liked what I did. They were excited by the books … The books did have a fantastic critical reception, generally, but to me, what matter most, was not to offend or upset [the fans].

Is it more or less difficult to write about established worlds and characters, as opposed to creating your own?

Difficult isn’t a word I use. Writing shouldn’t really be difficult — it’s hard sometimes, and it’s challenging. But to me, the ease of writing, the flow of it, the passion, is what matters, and that’s why I love writing. To answer your question, they’re very different. Writing as Ian Flemming or as Arthur Conan Doyle, it’s an act of ventriloquism. It’s an act, to a certain extent, of invisibility. When you read these books, I don’t want you to be aware of my voice. Whereas if you read Magpie Murders, which is my next book, it’s very much me — it’s my world and how I see things.

Stefan (Mark Strepan) and Rash (Ben Tavassolo). Courtesy: Eleventh Hour Films Ltd.

What advice do you have to writers who suffer writer’s block or stare at a blank page? Have you experienced that?

I never stare at a blank page — there’s nothing worse in the world than the decision to sit and stare at a blank page. If I’m not in the mood to write, I go out — I swim, I walk, I go to the cinema, to the theatre. I go to an art gallery. I go shopping. I meet friends. I don’t sit. The secret is, if you acknowledge writer’s block as a possibility, you may get blocked. If you ignore it, it will go away.

Alex Rider represents a huge chunk of your work. What significance do those books hold to you?

Of all the work I’ve done, I’m probably proudest of Alex Rider, because so many parents and teachers have told me their children have discovered the fun and pleasure of reading because of Alex Rider … I wasn’t going to write another Alex Rider book — but circumstances changed, and I found myself writing Alex Rider short stories and I discovered how much I like the character, so I thought, why not do one more just to see what happens? I’m writing that at the moment, I’m about 50,000 words in and it’s going really well.

Speaking of young adult readers, some have made the switch to electronic books. What are your thoughts on e-reading?

Anything that puts books into young people’s hands, I celebrate. That includes e-readers, cell phones, laptops, Kindles and all the rest of them. For myself, I’ve always loved paper. I write with a fountain pen — I’m an old-fashioned person. But of course, I embrace the new technology. It’s interesting that e-reading has not destroyed the page — on the contrary, the page is still as strong as it ever was, the printed word on paper. But anything goes.

Don’t miss it!

New Blood premieres on the on-demand service OSN Play on September 15 and on BBC First from November.