About
Richard Stokes is the award-winning producer of UK television shows including Broadchurch, Torchwood, Silk and The Siege amongst others. After a successful career making other people's stories come to life, he felt it was high time to tell his own. He has written for television including episodes of Law & Order: UK.
His screenplay, Galileo won the inaugural Filmmatic science-fiction screenplay competition and earned him a place on the Screencraft screenwriting fellowship in 2023.
After many kind words from broadcasters but no cigar, he turned the story of a police team on Mars into the first of the Galileo series of crime novels – Galileo Storm.
Inside the Mind - Richard Stokes
-
What inspired you to start writing?
I've always loved storytelling, from since I was a child. I was fascinated by what made the stories I loved work, what made them engage and resonate with me? I was then lucky enough to work in storytelling professionally for over 25 years as a TV producer and learnt a huge amount about planning serial stories featuring long-term character arcs, development and story integrity. I took that experience from TV production to writing novels and learnt a whole new skill. I'm still learning.
-
Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
The second in the Galileo thriller series is another crime mystery set on Mars fifty years from now. Set 14 months after the first book some characters have moved on, some less so. The first book was about corruption; how the rich and powerful can, with enough money and influence, seemingly get away with murder. This second thriller is about extremism - how people can take words meant for peace and unity and weaponise them for their own ends. It's also about the search for life beyond Earth - which is always a fun thing to explore. Available from 31st August 2026.
View More