Kenneth Royce

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December 11, 1920 (76 years)

† August 15, 1997

Croydon, Surrey, England, UK

Biography

Kenneth Royce Gandley (11 December 1920 — 15 August 1997) was an English author, who published 36 thriller novels between 1959 and 1997 under his own name (including The Third Arm, The Stalin Account, Fall-Out, 10,000 Days and Channel Assault), and three as Oliver Jacks. His best-known work are his novels featuring semi-reformed cat burglar William 'Spider' Scott, an XYY man, whose extra 'Y' chromosome (in the then-erroneous-but-conventional wisdom) gave him a pre-disposition towards criminalit…

Filmography

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Strangers

Strangers is a 1978–82 ITV police procedural created and principally written by Murray Smith, based on characters created by Kenneth Royce in his novel series and subsequent 1977–78 television adaptation The XYY Man. Don Henderson and Dennis Blanch reprise their roles, respectively, of Detective Sergeant (DS) George Bulman and Detective Constable (DC) Derek Willis. A group of police officers are brought together from across the country to the north of England. There, the fact that they're not well-known gives them the advantage to infiltrate where a more familiar local detective could not. Despite being based around a comparatively small team of detectives, a regular feature in its early years is that few episodes feature the entire team, with most using just two or three regulars in any major role.

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Bulman

Bulman is a 1985–87 police procedural created and principally written by Murray Smith. Produced by Granada Television for ITV, it is the second and final spin-off from The XYY Man (1976–78), and following Strangers (1978–82). Don Henderson reprises his iconic role as former DCI George Bulman, ostensibly retired from and repairing old clocks but active as a private investigator, with Lucy McGinty as his assistant. The duo are frequently drawn into the clandestine world of the secret service through the machinations of security chief Bill Dugdale or Bulman's former superior Jack Lambie.

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The XYY Man

The XYY Man is a 1976–77 British crime thriller television series created by Kenneth Royce, based on his novel series about reformed cat burglar William 'Spider' Scott, recruited by British intelligence for secret missions due to his unique genetic makeup (an extra Y chromosome), which supposedly predisposes him to crime. The plot follows his reluctant work for the secret service and his constant pursuit by the dogged Detective Sergeant George Bulman, leading to spin-offs like Strangers and Bulman.

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