If you're anything like us, you're always on the hunt for your next great binge-watch. Luckily, a stylish new crime drama is coming to screens very soon – and it promises to deliver on all fronts.
Bookish is created, written by and starring Emmy Award-winning writer Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), who plays Gabriel Book – a bookshop owner who happens to solve "the strangest" of crimes and "the knottiest" of murders. Joining him as his on-screen wife is Bridgerton's Polly Walker.
Across its six-episode run, the series dedicates two episodes to one mysterious crime.
Intrigued? Read on for more details…
So, what can we expect from Bookish?
Set in London, 1946, the drama follows Gabriel Book, a quirky bookstore owner who helps the police solve mysterious murder cases.
In the trailer, which has just dropped, we see Garbiel's wife Trottie announce a "suspicious" crime. When Gabriel goes to investigate, he tells police: "Leave nothing out, especially if it’s salacious, gory or vaguely scandalous."
© Nicollas Velter, UKTVThe official synopsis reads: "If his War was packed with espionage and secrets, Book’s Peace is just as full of adventure! Now he helps the police solve the strangest of crimes and the knottiest of murders. But his close association to the force is not without its dangers. For although he is very happily married to his childhood best friend, the captivating Trottie (played by Polly Walker), Book is a gay man living at a time when homosexuality was illegal.
© UKTV"When Book and Trottie take in Jack it seems like an act of altruism: a second chance for a young jailbird. And Jack (played by Connor Finch) proves a worthy assistant both in the shop and in Book’s murder investigations.
"It soon becomes clear, however, that Jack’s appointment wasn’t quite as random as it at first appears… With a complex mystery at the heart of every story, featuring a wealth of well-known guest stars, marrying post-war nostalgia with the reckless and life affirming atmosphere of the times, Bookish is a stylish period detective drama with a difference."
Who stars in Bookish?
Alongside Mark Gatiss, Polly Walker and Connor Finch, the series also features Elliot Levey as Inspector Bliss, Blake Harrison as Sergeant Morris and Buket Kömür as Nora.
© UKTVThe show promises a host of guest stars too, including Daniel Mays, Rosie Caveleiro, Joely Richardson, Paul McGann and many more.
What has the cast said?
Speaking to Deadline about his new project, Mark said: "It's become a bit of an instant cliche, 'cozy crime', but I don't think it has to be."
© UKTV"It can be welcoming, and this has period elements that people love, and they love a world where you can't solve crimes with computers. But it's also a world that's fractured and dangerous," he continued.
Bookish, which airs in July, has already been recommissioned for a second season, which is due to start filming in the summer, while a spin-off series that tells the crime stories from Nora’s perspective is also set to be released in July.
© UKTVMark said: "I'm thrilled that the team at U&alibi are allowing me to dive back into the world of Bookish and create more fiendish crimes for Gabriel Book and the team to solve.
He continued: "I can't wait for viewers to immerse themselves in the world we've created when the first series airs in a few months' time."
Bookish will be available to watch on U&Alibi this July.
