Channel 5 has brought to life the characters of Murder Before Evensong, the book series authored by former Strictly Come Dancing star, Rev. Richard Coles. The six-part series airs on Tuesday, with its premise intriguingly reading: "Old secrets risk getting flushed out of a sleepy village with the church at its centre as a long-suffering priest investigates a murder spree." The series sees Rev. Daniel Clement (Matthew Lewis) investigate the spate of murders, but is the character based on anyone real? Here's what his creator said…
Is Rev. Daniel Clement based on a real person?
Fans immediately wondered if author Rev. Richard Coles might have based his detective priest on himself. There are similarities with Richard, like his character, having travelled from the inner city to a rural village, while Daniel is also a fan of sausage dogs. But it appears that the character is just a figment of Richard's imagination.
Speaking to the Radio Times, the 63-year-old joked: "Readers think that Daniel Clement is basically me and when I saw Matthew in costume, he actually does look like a hotter version of me. So that's a little bit of mental rearrangement!"
Addressing how Rev. Daniel's life has some similarities to his, he continued: "I was in central London, then left to become a vicar of a semi-rural parish for 12 years. Everybody said, 'Oh, you'll get bored. You'll just be doing village fêtes.' But there was a murder in my first week. Or rather, an alleged murder. It happens, you see.
"The human heart is the human heart. It's darkness and it's light wherever you go. Murder victims need to have funerals, just like everybody else. Often you'll find yourself doing funerals not just for murder victims but for murderers, too. Everyone comes to your door in the end."
© Getty ImagesWho will star in Murder Before Evensong?
Starring as Rev. Daniel Clement is Matthew Lewis who, alongside his role as Hugh Hulton in All Creatures Great and Small, is known for his iconic role as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter franchise. Matthew is joined by Amit Shah (Happy Valley) as DS Neil Vanloo, Adam James (The Day of the Jackal) as Bernard De Floures and Meghan Treadway (One Day) as Honor De Floures.
© Channel 5Rounding out the cast are Alexander Delamain as Alex De Floures, Marion Bailey (The Crown) as Kath, Amanda Hadingue (Kaos) as Dora, Tamzin Outhwaite (The Wives) as Stella Harper, Francis Magee (Kin) as Edgy and Nina Toussaint-White (Showtrial) as Jane Thwaite.
