KIRRIEMUIR’S MOST famous son is bringing the spotlight back to his home town.

However, the 21st century focus on author J. M. Barrie and the wee red town is not because of the Peter Pan creator’s own writings, but because of his legacy which has spawned an eagerly- anticipated sequel to the story of the boy who never grew up.

More than a century after Peter Pan was performed on stage for the first time, award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean has penned the officially- endorsed Peter Pan In Scarlet and it is due to be launched at Kensington Palace in October.

The story is set in the 1930s and although the new tale is a closely guarded secret, its creator has sought to stay true to the original with a work of swashbuckling danger and derring-do aimed at adults and children.

Mrs McCaughrean was selected from over 200 writers to pen the Pan follow-up and her own story has been captured by a BBC TV crew who joined her in Kirriemuir yesterday for a visit to Barrie’s birthplace and other parts of the Angus town which were an important part of the playwright’s life.

The recording is to form part of the channel’s Imagine series and will be shown around the time of the autumn book launch.

When he died in 1937, Barrie bequeathed the Peter Pan copyright to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, a gesture which has brought in significant income for the world-famous hospital.

Mrs McCaughrean is delighted her latest work will continue to benefit the young people treated at Great Ormond Street and said today she had been thrilled that her manuscript received the seal of approval from both publisher and trustees.

“Neverland was such a marvellous place to spend my year,” she said.

“I clean forgot Barrie’s ghost might be reading the computer screen over my shoulder—forgot to worry whether the necessary people would like what I wrote.

“Mind you, that’s a good sign. When a book’s a joy to write some of the fun often snags on the letters and gets trapped between the pages.”

Jane Collins, chief executive of Great Ormond Street said, “The gift of Peter Pan was the most generous present J. M. Barrie could possibly have given to the hospital, a cause close to his heart.

“We are delighted that Geraldine’s book has captured the essence of his timeless creation and that she has produced a work that will take its place as a much-loved book, alongside the original Peter Pan.

“The success of Peter Pan In Scarlet will ensure that Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children will benefit from Barrie’s legacy for many years to come.”

Yesterday’s filming also took in the cricket pavilion and camera obscura on Kirrie Hill, gifted to the town by Barrie, and visited the author’s grave in the town where he chose to be laid to rest rather than Westminster Abbey.