Sherlock & Daughter creatives reteam for fairytale detective drama

The makers of Discovery+/The CW series Sherlock and Daughter, actor Dougray Scott and writer-producer Brendan Foley, are teaming up again for a fantasy detective series. 

The 8 x 60-minute Fairytale Detective, hailing from UK-based co-production, co-financing and distribution outfit Omega Global Media, will reimagine the famous fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen as a detective, aided in his investigations by the characters in his books. Scott (The Crow Girl) will play the lead role of Andersen.

Scott and Foley will exec produce the series. Foley is the creator and exec producer of breakout series Sherlock & Daughter, in which Scott played the iconic detective’s villainous nemesis Professor Moriarty. The show, which was Discovery+ UK’s first drama project, reached HBO Max’s Top five shows after launch, and also aired on SBS in Australia.

Foley is also the writer of series two of Elisa Viihde’s Nordic title The Man Who Died while Scott is set to appear as Gordon Brown in ITV’s The Hack, as well as in the Channel 4 drama series Summerwater and the BBC kids’ series Crookhaven.

Scott said: “[Foley] has given us a unique and exciting insight into the world of Hans Christian Andersen which is funny, surprising and incredibly moving.

“Hans Christian Anderson is a tragic/comic figure, possibly on the autism spectrum, whose only emotional outlet is through his fictional characters – he is his characters. Solving crimes gives him the same validation as his storytelling and a chance to understand and connect with the world around him.”

Omega Global Media managing director Danny Goldman will be offering co-production and pre-sale financing opportunities on the title at Mipcom, with the series attracting interest from the UK, US and the Nordics.

Omega Global Media’s slate also includes Canadian drama Something Undone, South African crime thriller The History of Blood, FBI drama Bombay Noir and the New Zealand-set crime drama Our Father. Former Sony and Miramax exec Goldman set up Omega Global Media in 2023 as a joint venture with Beta Film