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A Channel 4 adaptation of a political thriller by former MP Chris Mullin has been launched this week (7th November), with Profile Books reissuing the 1982 book on which it is based under a new title.
"Secret State", which stars Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne and Charles Dance, is based on a novel first published as A Very British Coup.
It is not the first time the novel has been adapted for TV, with a mini-series first appearing on Channel 4 in 1988. To mark the arrival of the new series, Profile is reissuing the book under the title Secret State (paperback, £7.99).
Mullin said: "It is 30 years since A Very British Coup was first published and I am gratified that it is still of interest after so long. I wish the film-makers well with their new version."
Ruth Killick, publicity director at Profile, said: "It's a terrific read—how the forces of the establishment combine to, in a very calm and British way, undermine a democratically elected prime minister whose policies prove bothersome. And the first TV adaptation was terrific. Since the TV version was entitled 'Secret State' it made sense to change the title to reflect that. And I can't wait to see Chris playing a walk-on part."
The politician started his career as a journalist, working for current affairs programme "World in Action" and editing the Tribune newspaper, writing A Very British Coup during this period. In 1987 he was elected MP for Sunderland South, the constituency famed for being the first to return in every general election since 1992. He left parliament in 2010.
In 2009, his first volume of diaries, A View from the Foothills, was released by Profile to great success. It was followed by more diary volumes, Decline & Fall and A Walk-On Part.