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The TV series we wouldn't have without books

The TV series we wouldn't have without books

Love a nice night in front of the telly? None of these beloved shows would be on your screens if someone hadn't written a book first...

Sarah Doran

Published: Thursday, 5 March 2015 at 1:27 pm

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You can barely set foot in a cinema these days without coming across a film that's based on a book. In fact, our bookshops now devote entire shelves to the novels you need to read before the film comes out.

Books have been inspiring some of our favourite small screen offerings for decades now too, offering up some right televisual treats for us to enjoy from the comfort of our very own sofas.

Here are just a selection of TV series we wouldn't have if it weren't for the written word...

Sherlock

We hate to state the obvious but, for Sherlock and John, the game would most definitely not be afoot had it not been for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novels. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman aren't the first to put their spin on the boys from 221b Baker Street though, and chances are they won't be the last either. Just ask Mr Holmes.

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Sex and the City

They may have spent much of their time between the sheets on our TV screens but Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte began life between the pages of Candace Bushnell's novel of the same name. First published in 1997, the collection of New York Observer columns inspired Darren Star's hit HBO series and its movie spin-offs.

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House of Cards

Netflix's smash hit TV series isn't just a reboot of Andrew Davies' Bafta award winning miniseries y'know. Both the on-demand series and Davies' BBC offering were based on Michael Dobbs' 1989 political thriller of the same name. He followed it up with To Play the King in 1992 and The Final Cut in 1994.

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Game of Thrones

It may yet end differently to the unfinished book series it was based on but without George R.R. Martin's tomes, there would be no Game of Thrones. It's thanks to the works of the author that we can wing our way to those Seven Kingdoms and lose ourselves in the wild tales of Westeros. Even if the rampant death and destruction leaves us feeling a little dead inside.

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Read More: 10 books you should read before the film comes out

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Sarah Doran

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