Airdate: Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal

If you like a bit of fantasy, ABC1’s Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal could be just the ticket.

Based on the book by UK novelist Terry Pratchett, part of the Discworld series, this finds condemned arch-swindler Moist von Lipwig with a noose around his neck and dropping through a trapdoor into…a government job?

The cast includes Richard Coyle, David Suchet, Charles Dance, Claire Foy and Steve Pemberton.

This 2010 series from ITV will air in 2 parts across successive Saturdays.

Going Postal is the story of arch-swindler Moist Von Lipwig (Richard Coyle) and the beautiful, vengeful Adora Belle Dearheart (Claire Foy).

A life-long travelling con-artist, Lipwig’s crimes finally catch up with him in the town of Ankh-Morpork. Faced with death by hanging, Lipwig is spared by Lord Vetinari (Charles Dance), who sees him as the perfect man for the role of Postmaster in the decrepit Ankh-Morpork post office.

Faced with an almost impossible task, and making an immediate enemy of bloodthirsty tyrant Reacher Gilt (David Suchet), owner of the rival money-hungry Grand Trunk Clacks communication monopoly, Lipwig’s first instinct is to run. That is until he meets the spellbinding Adora. Captivated by her beauty and her brains, Lipwig will try anything to win her affections… little knowing the part he has played in her family’s downfall.

Sir Terry Pratchett’s 33rd ‘discworld’ novel, Going Postal from which this was adapted was released in 2004 and shortlisted for the Nebula Award for Best Novel.

Pratchett is still the second most-read author in Britain today, behind only JK Rowling. His back catalogue however is the number one best selling of any author in the UK. His books have been translated into 35 languages with notable success in US, Germany, France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand among others. It should be noted that Pratchett becomes ever more popular in the US and is now the sixth most read non US author in the United States.

7:30pm Saturday December 17 and 24 on ABC1.