Parisian prodco Cottonwood Media, London-based Coolabi Productions and Germany’s ZDF Studios are going sleuthing together with The Lady Grace Mysteries (10 x 24 minutes, pictured), a new live-action co-pro based on a 12-book kidlit series that has just been greenlit by multiple broadcasters.

With commissions from the BBC and ZDF secured, as well as a pre-sale to France Télévisions, Federation Kids & Family and ZDF Studios are now shopping the series around more broadly. The Beeb will premiere it on CBBC in the UK. 

The Lady Grace Mysteries revolves around an orphaned teenager who works as a private spy for Queen Elizabeth I. Relying on her quick wit, Grace cracks peculiar cases in the English royal court with the help of her besties Ellie (a servant) and Masou (a performer). This children’s book series from author Patricia Finney (with Sara Volger and Jan Burchett co-authoring some later titles) was published by Penguin Random House between 2004 and 2010, and has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide to date.

Anna McCleery (A Kind of Spark) is attached to the adaptation as a lead writer, with Cottonwood Media MD Alexander Jacob (Theodosia) on board to direct and oversee production with Manon Ardisso, head of fiction at the French studio. 

Cottonwood and ZDF Studios both have strong track records in producing live-action programming for tweens. And the show is poised to tap into what seems to be a spike in market interest for detective-led kids content; BBC Studios Kids & Family also started development this summer on a book-based project called Anisha Accidental Detective.

“The Lady Grace Mysteries feels so fresh and gives our viewers the opportunity to spend time in a really exciting period of history, but in a modern and standout way, with a modern and standout lead,” noted Sarah Muller, the BBC’s senior head of children’s commissioning for seven-plus. “Solving mysteries is such a favorite, too, and with such a unique setting, it should be attractive to a much wider audience.”