Plans are well advanced to turn an acclaimed series of novels by two North Yorkshire authors, which feature fabulous locations across the county, into a major television series.

The Moonstone Legacy Quartet, an imaginative and gripping sequel to Wilkie Collins’ classic The Moonstone, is co-written by Thirsk-based Tony Wild and Diana de Gunzburg.

Among the key North Yorkshire locations are the Cleveland Way footpath on the Yorkshire coast and The Owl at Hawnby, in Ryedale.

The four books focus on the adventures, both realistic and mystical, of a brave young heroine Lizzie Abercrombie, whose life is shattered when her mother dies in a tragic accident on a full moon.

placeholder image — Sheep on the Nortk York Moors.

Lizzie quickly begins to suspect that the death was no accident and finds evidence pointing towards an ancient family curse tied to the Moonstone, a sacred meteoric Indian diamond stolen by her ancestor George Abercrombie.

Diana said: “Determined to uncover the truth, Lizzie’s investigation takes her from Lizzieland - our fictionalised area nestled in the North York Moors, inspired by real locations like Kepwick, Hawnby, and Brimham Rocks - to the Temple of the Moon in India.

“There she uncovers the dark history of her ancestor’s actions, which plunges her into mortal danger from a Louis d’Harcourt, a charismatic Swiss industrialist obsessed with religious artefacts and idols who is determined to have the Moonstone for himself.

"Ultimately, the quartet concludes with Lizzie and her friends uncovering everything that had been hidden, confronting their enemies, and revealing the concealed cosmic marvels that lie at the centre of their interconnected lives.

“Our plot weaves through high-profile celestial events – including a pivotal total solar eclipse on a beach in Spain – forcing our characters to navigate the thin, blurring boundary between science fiction, historical fact, and reality.

“Our books are very visual, with stunning locations not just in Yorkshire, but across the world, which is why we believe they would make a wonderful television series.

"Plans for this are well-advanced with a script written, a detailed pitch deck prepared for potential investors and a producer lined up.”

Here are some of the key North Yorkshire locations in The Moonstone Legacy Quartet, together with their fictional names in brackets:

The Owl at Hawnby. photo: Dan Oxtoby Photography

The Cleveland Way (The Drove Road)

The Owl at Hawnby (The Falcon Inn)

Brimham Rocks (Grimstone Scar)

Kepwick Hall Estate (Shalimar)

The Strid

Thornborough Henge

Thirsk, including the Ritz Cinema, (Knowlesby)

Sezincote House, Cotswolds (Shalimar, an Anglo-Indian mansion, the substitute for Kepwick Hall.)

Diana said: “There is no doubt that North Yorkshire boasts some of the most stunning and magical landscapes in the whole of the UK and they make the perfect backdrop to Lizzie’s adventures.

“So, we are excited that they will feature again in a major television series, following in the illustrious footsteps of All Creatures Great And Small, Wuthering Heights, and Brideshead Revisited.

“They will be alongside other incredible locations in Spain, India and Sri Lanka, but – speaking as proud Yorkshire people - we know they will hold their own.”