DCI Tennison the early years to be explored

International bestselling crime-writer Lynda La Plante has revealed that she is currently writing a prequel to her hugely successful TV series, Prime Suspect.

The book titled: ‘Tennison’ after the main character DCI Jane Tennison, which was played on-screen by Emmy-winning Dame Helen Mirren, will also be adapted for TV.

However, La Plante has commented it’s unlikely Dame Helen would appear in the series saying; “I would love to even approach her to consider it but I feel she has carved out such an impressive career. I really doubt she would want to go back.”

Adding the casting “Will be a great search (given) Helen Mirren’s iconic performance.”

The prequel will begin in the late 1970s or early 1980s when Tennison joins the force.

La Plante says: “When you first meet her (Tennison) in the early 90s, she is a very complex character, but what made her so?”

Adding: “Nobody knows what drove her to become a DCI or want to join the police force in the first place.”

She revealed that she thought something had “marked her (Tennison) emotionally… something like a love affair with a high ranking officer who has been murdered.”

Tennison is currently in the research stages.