New play by best-selling crime author Peter James coming to Cardiff next year

Following the critically acclaimed smash-hit primetime ITV series 'Grace', based on the best-selling novels by the UK's number one crime author Peter James, producer Joshua Andrews is delighted to announce the world stage premiere of James' novel 'Wish You Were Dead' - featuring DSI Roy Grace.

This will be the sixth stage adaptation of James’ best-selling novels - making it the most successful crime thriller stage franchise since Agatha Christie.

Adapted exclusively for the stage, the world premiere of 'Wish You Were Dead' will kick off a major five-month nationwide UK tour in February 2023 at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. The production will then travel to theatres across the country coming to New Theatre, Cardiff, 16 – 20 May 2023. Tickets are on sale now from PeterJames.com, with further dates to be announced soon.

Peter James said: “I have always loved live theatre, so it’s been thrilling to watch how much audiences around the UK have loved the plays. Theatre and the escapism it provides us all is so important – particularly now. Inside the safe cocoon of a theatre, audiences love to be on the edge of their seats and sometimes shocked, always hoping when that final curtain falls, order will have been restored and the world will seem just a little bit of a better place. I am incredibly grateful for the support regional theatres and their audiences have shown our plays and it will be fantastic to see another one of my books being adapted for the stage – the sixth one! – and audiences enjoying it, in 2023.

Previous Peter James novels brought to the stage include: 'Looking Good Dead' which premiered earlier this year starring Adam Woodyatt; 'The House on Cold Hill' starring Joe McFadden and Rita Simons in 2019; 'Not Dead Enough' starring Shane Richie and Laura Whitmore in 2017; 'The Perfect Murder' starring Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace in 2016 and 'Dead Simple' starring Tina Hobley in 2015.

The stage play of 'Wish You Were Dead' follows DSI Roy Grace and Cleo Morey as they take a much needed holiday together. Cleo hopes that she will finally get Grace to herself for a few days and away from his crime solving exploits. But their dream escape turns out to be the holiday from hell, as the past comes back to haunt them.