Stephen Fry and Dougie Henshall are to star in a new ITV drama called Doors Open. Based on a book by Ian Rankin, Doors Open has been commissioned as a two-hour film and will be produced by Sprout Pictures, the company founded by Stephen Fry and Gina Carter.

Doors Open tells the story of a self-made millionaire, an art professor and a banker who come together to undertake an audacious art heist. Commenting, Laura Mackie, Director of Drama at ITV says: “Doors Open is full of excitement with many twists and turns and it is as much of a love story as an art heist. We have an A list cast lined up to bring Ian Rankin”s characters to life.”

Doors Open has been adapted from Ian Rankin”s novel by James Mavor and Sandi Toksvig. Marc Evans (Collision, Hunky Dory) is directing, Jon Finn (Billy Elliot, My Little Eye) is producing and Executive Producers are Carter, Fry and Toksvig. The Creative Producer is Pip Broughton and Head of Production is Zoe Rocha.

Stephen Fry added: “I picked up Doors Open at an airport a year or so back and as I read I just knew it would make a thrilling, charming and original TV drama. I also adored the character of Professor Gissing and a shamefully vain part of me refused to see anyone else in the role. I am so thrilled ITV was of the same opinion and that all of us at Sprout have put together what I believe will be an entertaining, suspenseful heist thriller which will appeal to audiences home and abroad.” Filming commences in Edinburgh on 23 April for five weeks.

Meanwhile, Deep Indigo, the producers of ITV”s Titanic mini-series are blaming the non-linear nature of the narrative for a dramatic decline in ratings. The £12m, 4-part production started with 9 million viewers but had slumped to just over 3.5 million by episode 4 which aired on April 15.