Stage, Screen and Airwaves
Dame Ivy’s novels explore universal aspects of human nature and themes that remain as relevant today as they were in her time. Many notable artists from stage and screen have been captivated by her characters and drawn to her work.
​
Over the years, her novels have been adapted into radio plays for the BBC and into theatre and TV productions. Today one of her novels is in development for film adaptation.
On the radio (BBC)
1952 A Family and A Fortune
1953 Men and Wives
1957 A Father and His Fate
1959 A Heritage and Its History
1961 The Mighty And Their Fall
1963 A God and His Gifts
1985 Daughters and Sons (By John Spurling)
2002 Mother and Son (By Maria Aitken)
On stage
A Heritage and its History in 1965
by Julian Mitchell
​
A Family and a Fortune in 1975
by Julian Mitchell at the Apollo Theatre in London-
starring Alec Guinness
In film & on TV
“She is as much part of our great 20th-century fictional heritage as Virginia Woolf or Elizabeth Bowen, and could be adapted for Sunday tea-time telly drama more easily than either…” So wrote Stuart Jeffries in a recent Guardian article.
​
TV dramatisations were broadcast in 1975 and 1984 and a French film adaptation of Elders & Betters called La Substitution was released in 1973.
The Estate currently has one of Dame Ivy’s novels in film development, based on an adaptation by the celebrated writer Kit Hesketh-Harvey. The Estate is seeking collaborations to adapt some of her other novels.
​
Writers with genuine credentials and a strong interest in Dame Ivy’s work are invited to contact Samantha Brace at Peters Fraser & Dunlop. Please note that unsolicited submissions will not be accepted, and all inquiries must be made through literary agents.