THIS month marks the 25th anniversary of the eight-volume Angel Mountain Saga, the much-loved historical fiction series by West Wales author Brian John — and there’s a growing buzz about its potential to become the next great British television drama.

The million-word saga was “given” to Brian during a single night of delirium in the year 2000, following “aerotoxic poisoning” on a holiday flight.

The saga follows the unforgettable Martha Morgan, a teenage widow in 1790s Pembrokeshire who rises from tragedy on a ruined estate to become a fierce but flawed matriarch.

Combining gritty historical drama, romance, supernatural intrigue, and a strong female lead, the series has become a cult favourite and the best-selling fiction series ever published in Wales. In the early days of the saga, Bookseller magazine referred to it as “a self-publishing phenomenon”.

The books of the series have been through numerous editions, including Ebook, large print and audiobook versions. Total sales for the saga are now in excess of 150,000 copies.

With TV drama potential also in mind, Brian and his team have also prepared a new “pitch deck”, a screenplay for a pilot episode, and a new web site.

Brian said “The 25th anniversary feels like the right time [to bring the story to screen]. The books have a loyal readership — and the cinematic potential of this corner of Wales is huge and under-exploited.

“It’s heartening that so many great TV and film projects are nowadays coming to fruition in Welsh studios,” he added, “but very few of them actually seek to tell the story of Wales.

“On Angel Mountain” is of course an action-packed adventure story, but it is also an allegory, exploring the relationship between Wales and its powerful and predatory neighbour, so it ticks all the boxes.”