Neo-gothic spires of Manchester Town Hall. Location of Guy Richie's Sherlock Holmes.
In the gothic surroundings of Manchester Town Hall Old Etonian Anthony Horovitz reflected on the dreadful school system of his childhood, an experience which he presumed his male contemporaries in the audience shared. ‘Most of the school teachers would be locked up these days,’ he speculated. It is likely though, I suspect, that most in the audience were educated in the state sector and therefore lucky to have escaped similar horrors to his North London prep school.
He has always loved nineteenth century literature: Dickens, Trollop and even George Gissing (‘so depressing’ he adds cheerfully). So writing a Sherlock Holmes novel has not been a chore, in fact it is his favourite book. He wonders why Alan Davies has cornered the market in television adaptations of historical novels- he would love to adapt Dickens to a modern day setting.
A skull on his desk reminds him that life is short and you just have to get on and do things. He always knew he could tell stories and for him stories and books are more exciting than life itself. It is evident that that he loves what he does and his enthusiasm for writing and engaging children in literature is infectious. He has ideas which will keep him busy for the next five years and you sense many beyond that too.
The dark panelled banqueting hall of Waterhouse’s Town Hall will, he tells us, doubtless appear in a book some day, but his next project will take him to Antarctica where he will sit on the ice and write the last few chapters of “The Power of Five”. We wait in eager anticipation.
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