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Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
20 Must-Watch British Crime Shows to Stream Right Now (July 2025)
It may not seem like it, but summer is the perfect time to watch a good British crime show. What better way to escape the heat than to watch cops and detectives solve mysteries in cold, damp locations? This July, Watch With Us has found some great new British crime shows for you to stream on Netflix, BritBox, Hulu and more. Some new additions include Patience, a cop procedural with an autistic lead character, and Art Detectives, a quirky mystery series involving dead bodies and Impressionist paintings. What's not to love? Need more recommendations? Then check out Great Shows to Watch on Netflix, Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime Video and More, Best Shows on Netflix Right Now, Best Shows on HBO and Max Right Now and Best Shows on Peacock Right Now.'Patience'(2025) - PBS Masterpiece When a man with everything to live for withdraws money from the bank, drops it in a trash can, and then sets himself on fire, it's at first dismissed as an unusual suicide. But when Patience (Ella Maisy Purvis), an autistic police archivist, notices a connection to other recent suicides, Detective Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser) recruits her to be on her team to find the culprit. The unlikely duo tackles several cases, including the mysterious death of a bestselling author and a body disappearing from the morgue. Like Grantchester and dozens of other British crime shows, Patience works largely because of its odd couple dynamic between a veteran cop and a rookie outsider. The mysteries Patience and Bea solve are interesting enough to keep you engaged for an episode or two, and the chemistry between the two leads is terrific. The show also stands out for its nuanced portrayal of a young woman with autism, which isn't typically seen in the crime genre. 'Art Detectives' - Acorn TV Art Detectives is a new mystery show focused on the Heritage Crime Unit, a police department that specializes in crimes related to the art world. That sounds a bit dry, but rest assured, there are plenty of dead bodies and scandalous secrets just waiting to be discovered. Detectives Mick Palmer (Stephen Moyer) and Shazia Malik (Nina Singh) tackle cases like elaborate art forgeries, stolen artifacts from the Titanic and, of course, murder. Art Detectives doesn't skimp on the drama either, with Mick striking up a romance with a charismatic museum curator (Sarah Alexander) and Mick's father, an infamous forger, complicating the detective's professional and personal lives. Art Detectives is already one of Acorn TV's most popular shows of all time, and for once, the masses have got it right. It's wonderful, brainy fun, and you don't have to be an art lover to appreciate it. 'Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes' (2025) - Hulu Hulu's dynamic and unsettling four-episode series, Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, dramatizes the events leading up to Jean Charles de Menezes' death. On July 22, 2005, bombing suspect Jean Charles de Menezes was shot and killed by the Metropolitan Police Service at a subway stop in London. It's quickly revealed that he's innocent, and the resulting public outcry rocked all of Great Britain. Looking's Russell Tovey and The Newsroom's Emily Mortimer lead the cast as members of the London police force who make a fatal error in judgment, and newcomer Edison Alcaide plays the innocent and doomed Jean. Suspect is a mesmerizing true crime tale that meticulously documents a real event that had a tragic ending. 'Safe House' (2015-2017) - Acorn TV Those interested in survival crime stories should check out both seasons of Safe House. In the first season, Christopher Eccleston stars as Robert Carmichael, a retired police detective living in a remote part of England. He's still haunted by the death of a witness he was assigned to protect years ago, so that's why it's surprising when he agrees to help shelter a family on the run from dangerous criminals. Robert isn't happy he's been brought back in for active duty, but he wants to correct some mistakes he made in his past. Safe House is an under-the-radar thriller that boasts fine performances and a narrative that's full of understated tension. Eccleston is terrific as the traumatized detective, and the first season has plenty of moody visuals that are just perfect for a crime show like this one. The second season has a new cast led by Stephen Moyer and a different story with little connection to season 1. It's just as good, though, with Moyer showing all the charisma that made him a star on True Blood nearly two decades ago. 'Dept. Q' (2025) - Netflix It's been a while since Netflix has had a solid crime drama from the United Kingdom, but that drought is finally over with Dept. Q. Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode plays Carl Morck, an emotionally damaged British detective assigned to lead Department Q, which deals with cold cases no one else can solve. Carl, along with his quirky team of investigators and forensic scientists, must now catch murderers and criminals who have escaped justice for years. Dept. Q isn't just a watered-down CSI clone; instead, it's a surprisingly involving mystery show that cares much about the relationships between its investigators as it does in spinning a good crime yarn. The show features a stellar cast of Scottish and British actors, including Kelly Macdonald as Morck's well-meaning therapist, but it's Goode who dominates the show with his haunted detective. 'Death Valley' (2025) - BritBox John Chapel (Harry Potter actor Timothy Spall) fears his best days are behind him. A beloved actor best known for playing a popular detective on TV, his retirement has so far proven to be a bit dull and uninspiring. But when John's neighbor turns up dead, he's inspired to solve the case himself. He's helped by Detective Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth), who actually has experience solving crimes, and together, the duo solves numerous crimes in and around their sleepy Welsh village. It's a classic British crime show set-up, and while Death Valley doesn't radically change the genre, it pretty much perfects it. Much of the show's success is due to Spall, one of Britain's great character actors, who imbues Chapel with enough complexity and charm to make him stand out from all the other English amateur sleuths. The first season consists of six tidy episodes, and the show's ratings success guarantees it will come back for at least another season. 'I, Jack Wright' (2025) - BritBox You can always rely on the British to produce a mystery series worth watching, and they don't disappoint with I, Jack Wright. The new BritBox show concerns the apparent suicide of the titular character, who manages to surprise his grieving family from beyond the grave by leaving most of them out of his will. Why did Jack (Trevor Eve) seemingly screw over the family he loved when he was alive? And is his suspicious death somehow related to his decision to leave them with nothing? Jack Wright eventually answers those questions by the time it wraps up its mystery, but the main pleasure in watching this six-episode series is getting to its inevitable conclusion. 'Scrublands' (2023-Present) - Acorn TV Riversend is an idyllic small town in Australia where everyone knows each other and no one feels unsafe. That's why it's so shocking when a priest, Father Swift (Jay Ryan), guns down five parishioners one day after church. A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) wants to know what drove Swift to do such an unspeakable act. But Martin's investigation turns up some secrets that are better left buried, and soon, he fears he may be the next person to die in Riversend. Scrublands is a mystery that reveals its killer right away — Father Swift. But it's the reasons behind the priest's actions that fuel the story and push Martin into danger to find out the truth. Scrublands' first season is only four episodes long, but that's just long enough for it to tell an absorbing mystery with a shocking ending. The show recently returned for season 2 and focuses on Martin's return to his hometown, which also holds secrets no one wants revealed. 'The Stolen Girl' (2025) - Hulu and Freeform What would you do if someone you loved disappeared? That's what Eliza Blix (Andor's Denise Gough) experiences when she picks up her daughter Lucia (Beatrice Cohen) after a sleepover at a friend's house and can't find her. She can't find her friend's family either, and she eventually discovers that the house was a rental and that no one permanently lives there. Where is Lucia? And why would anyone want to kidnap her for seemingly no reason? The Stolen Girl is a captivating five-episode mystery series that explores every parent's worst nightmare. As Eliza, Gough is superb as a mother who is desperate for answers. She may find them by talking to her husband Fred (Jim Sturgess), who knows more than he's willing to tell. 'Agatha Christie's Towards Zero' (2025) - BritBox In the mood for a good, old-fashioned thriller involving the rich and immoral? If yes, then BritBox has another mystery worth watching — and solving. Agatha Christie's Towards Zero is a three-episode series that adapts the 1944 novel of the same name. Anjelica Huston stars as Lady Tressilian, a rich widow who invites some guests to her seaside property for a house party. When an old family friend is found murdered, suspicion naturally falls on the party's guests, which include a disgraced tennis star (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his new wife (Mimi Keene). Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys) has his hands full, and he'll have to act quickly before the murderer strikes again. Towards Zero is a surprisingly risque adaptation (expect some steamy sex scenes) that is nonetheless largely faithful to the book's main plot. Huston is fun to watch playing a snobby rich lady with daggers for eyes while Jackson-Cohen is appropriately dashing as one of the suspects. 'The Jetty' (2024) - BritBox and Hulu A fire at a swanky vacation houseboat, a love triangle involving an older man and two teenage girls and a podcaster investigating a person who has been missing for years — none of these things seem related to one another. Yet, by the time The Jetty concludes its superb four-episode first season, Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) will somehow tie all of them together in a tricky mystery that's one of British TV's best of 2024. Coleman stars as Manning, who must deal with her own personal issues — she's a widow, and her pre-teen daughter is starting to smoke — while also trying to solve several mysteries simultaneously. Similar to Happy Valley, The Jetty examines violence occurring in a bucolic setting and features a dynamite lead female performance from Coleman. 'A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story' (2025) - BritBox It's no spoiler to reveal that Ruth Ellis (Lucy Boynton), the lead character in the new four-episode crime show A Cruel Love, died by hanging on July 13, 1955. Ruth was a real woman who committed a very real crime: She shot her lover, David Blakely (Laurie Davidson), on Easter the year of her death. But what led the nightclub hostess to carry out such a horrible act? That's the question behind A Cruel Love, BritBox's excellent true-crime drama that explores Ruth's motivations behind David's murder, the subsequent trial that dominated the tabloid press and her death by execution, which is still the last time a woman was put to death for her crimes in the United Kingdom. This story has been told before, most notably in the 1985 film Dance with a Stranger, but never as absorbing and detailed as it is here. As Ellis, Boynton is never better playing a woman left with few options in life. The show convincingly evokes a period when scandal could ruin reputations and a crime of passion could captivate a still-innocent public. 'Missing You' (2025) - Netflix Dating apps are the worst, but for Detective Inspector Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), they could be deadly. When she finds a former boyfriend — who she thought had died over a decade ago — alive, well and looking for love on one of these apps, it sends her down a path that will force her to confront some dark secrets in her past. Missing You is adapted from the novel by Harlan Coben, an American crime novelist behind several hit Netflix mysteries like Fool Me Once and Stay Close. Missing You offers similar pleasures: a protagonist traumatized by her past, a mystery with several twists and turns and several talented British actors who are largely unknown to Americans. With only five episodes, the series doesn't overstay its welcome, and the ending is satisfying enough to make you look forward to the next Coben adaptation. 'Ridley' (2022-Present) - PBS and Amazon Prime Video After his wife and daughter die tragically in a fire, Detective John Ridley (Adrian Dunbar) is forced into early retirement following a nervous breakdown. Eighteen months later, he's back to help his former co-workers, but does he still have what it takes to solve mysteries? And, specifically, the curious cases of a murdered sheep farmer, a dead body that's found on the moors and a cold case involving the disappearance of a young man 40 years ago? Ridley is a run-of-the-mill British crime show that's executed exceptionally well. The show spotlights the pastoral beauty of the English countryside and is just the right amount of moody to be cozy without becoming menacing. Dunbar is excellent as the haunted detective, and his frequent trips to the local jazz club to belt out a tune or two are a welcome wrinkle in an otherwise straightforward procedural. 'Joan' (2024) - BritBox and The CW You don't become the so-called 'Godmother' of the British criminal underworld by being nice. Joan Hannington (Sophie Turner) is a single mother with too many responsibilities and not enough money to handle them all. In desperation, she turns to a life of crime in order to take care of her daughter and her debts. It's easy for her, since she has a photographic memory and a talent for mimicry. But will Joan's newfound taste for luxury, furs and jewels be her downfall? As Joan, Turner gets to flex all her dramatic muscles without the aid of a dragon or a CGI phoenix. Armed with '80s-era bangs and giant shoulder pads, her Joan is a warrior marching on a different kind of battlefield — one filled with lowlifes whom she can't really trust. Maybe it's not that different from her time on Game of Thrones after all. 'Grantchester' (2014-Present) - PBS and Amazon Prime Video Murder shows with priests are more common than you think, and they don't get much better than Grantchester. The long-running series, which began in 2014 and is currently on its ninth season, focuses on the unlikely crime-solving duo of Detective Geordie Keating (Robson Green) and the vicar of Grantchester. Sidney Chambers (James Norton) was the first and best priest/sleuth, but his successors, Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) and Alphy Kotterman (Rishi Nair), are just as likable and dashing. The show follows a standard formula — someone finds a dead body in or around Grantchester and Geordie and Sidney/Will/Alphy catch the culprit. The crimes are pretty routine and the mysteries aren't all that complex, but the show's 1950s-to-1960s period setting is evocative, and the cast is uniformly excellent. You may question the unusually high body count of a sleepy English village, but you won't regret bingeing a season or two in one sitting. It's that charming. 'Magpie Murders' (2022) - PBS and Amazon Prime Video No one writes a better crime novel than Alan Conway (Conleth Hill). He knows that, which makes him insufferable. His editor, Susan Reyland (Lesley Manville), puts up with him because he sells a lot of books. But when Alan is found dead and the police deem it a suicide, she becomes suspicious. Alan would never do that — he loved himself too much. But who would end his life? And why? Magpie Murders has a central mystery that is genuinely intriguing and a cast of appropriately shady suspects. But it's Manville who is the chief reason to watch the show. She's one of Britain's best actors working today, and she's funny and clever as the nonplussed Susan. A sequel series, Moonflower Murders, was released in 2024, and it's also worth a look. 'The Marlow Murder Club' (2024) - PBS and Amazon Prime Video Buckinghamshire is one of those quaint English villages where people go for rest, relaxation and maybe a cup of tea. But murder? That's what retired archaeologist Judith (Samantha Bond), dog walker Suzie (Jo Martin) and vicar's wife Becks (Cara Horgan) discover one sunny afternoon. But who left the dead body floating in the river? Before the trio can even answer, another corpse turns up. Is there a serial killer on the prowl? The Marlow Murder Club won't win any points for realism or originality, but this kind of show needs to be credible enough to be entertaining without anyone bothering to question its logic. It's a stereotypically 'cozy' British crime series in the best possible sense, and former James Bond star Bond gets a rare lead role to showcase her underappreciated talents. Dalgliesh (2021-Present) - Acorn TV Adam Dalgliesh ranks along with Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes as one of England's most beloved detectives, yet he's largely unknown in America. That will hopefully change with Dalgliesh, a new crime series on Acorn TV. Stage actor Bertie Carvel embodies P.D. James' brainy sleuth this time around, and he has his hands full in a series of mysteries set in the 1970s. A brutal murder at a seminary, a politically-motivated crime among an upper-class family and a mystery involving an unusual hospital are just some of the cases Dalgliesh has to crack, and Carvel provides enough appeal to make you invested in the detective's investigations. Like the novels it's based on, Dalgliesh is more highbrow than your average crime show, but it provides the same thrills viewers expect from the genre. The show just aired its third season in 2024. 'Collateral' (2018) - Netflix A pizza delivery man, Abdullah Asif (Sam Otto), is shot and killed in southwest London, and almost no one seems to care. Detective Kip Glaspie (Carey Mulligan) is the exception and thinks Abdullah's death is more than just a random act of violence. Her assumption proves to be correct, as Kip's investigation leads her to uncover a complex web that connects the police, politicians and human traffickers. Collateral is shorter than your average crime series, but it packs a lot in its four episodes. In her pursuit to find Abdullah's killer, Kip interrogates members of Parliament, a female vicar with something to hide and several MI5 agents to find out who killed him and why. With an intelligent script by playwright David Hare and a bravura lead performance by Mulligan, Collateral is a rarity — a politically-minded crime drama that will leave you a bit unsettled after it's over.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘MasterChef' Host Gregg Wallace Attacks BBC Amid Reports He's Been Fired After Misconduct Probe
Gregg Wallace has launched a furious attack on the BBC amid reports that he has been fired from hosting MasterChef UK following an inquiry into his conduct. Wallace posted a five-slide statement on Instagram setting out his position after a nine-month investigation carried out by law firm Silkins on behalf of MasterChef producer Banijay UK. More from Deadline 'Grantchester' To Conclude After Season 11 On PBS Masterpiece & ITV 'Building The Band' Execs On Working With The "Glorious" Liam Payne & Why It's Always A Good Time For A New Talent Show Mark Linsey Pivots To L.A. As BBC Studios Seeks New Scripted Chief; Banijay Benelux Boss; UKTV Content Head Richard Watsham Exiting - Global Briefs Hours after posting the statement, BBC News, which is editorially independent of BBC corporate decision-making, published further allegations about Wallace based on evidence from 50 people. Its lengthy report included testimony from 11 women who accused the established British TV presenter of inappropriate sexual behaviour, including groping and touching. Some of the women spoke to Silkins, BBC News reported. Wallace denied the fresh claims, accusing BBC News of 'peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.' He added that the Silkins review, a summary of which is expected to be published this week, had cleared him of the most 'serious and sensational' accusations. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gregg Wallace MBE (@greggawallace) The inquiry was launched late last year after BBC News published initial allegations that Wallace made 'inappropriate sexual comments' on five shows across a 17-year period. One of 13 people who made the allegations included Kirsty Wark, the former BBC Newsnight presenter who was a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011. Wallace's lawyers have always denied that he engaged in behavior of a 'sexually harassing nature.' Today's BBC News piece reveals allegations from 50 more people. One woman told BBC News that Wallace took his trousers down in front of her in a dressing room. Another woman, who worked on MasterChef in 2013, said Wallace 'squeezed my bum' during a wrap party. 'The most damaging claims were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation,' Wallace said, adding Silkins 'finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.' He 'apologized without reservation' for this. 'My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact that the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigate and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins. The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.' He accused BBC News of chasing 'slanderous click-bait' and publishing 'uncorroborated tittle tattle.' A BBC spokeswoman said: 'Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.' Banijay declined comment. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan's Next Film – 'The Odyssey': Release Date, Cast And More
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘MasterChef' Host Gregg Wallace Attacks BBC Amid Reports He's Been Fired After Misconduct Probe
Gregg Wallace has launched a furious attack on the BBC amid reports that he has been fired from hosting MasterChef UK following an inquiry into his conduct. Wallace posted a five-slide statement on Instagram setting out his position after a nine-month investigation carried out by law firm Silkins on behalf of MasterChef producer Banijay UK. More from Deadline 'Grantchester' To Conclude After Season 11 On PBS Masterpiece & ITV 'Building The Band' Execs On Working With The "Glorious" Liam Payne & Why It's Always A Good Time For A New Talent Show Mark Linsey Pivots To L.A. As BBC Studios Seeks New Scripted Chief; Banijay Benelux Boss; UKTV Content Head Richard Watsham Exiting - Global Briefs Hours after posting the statement, BBC News, which is editorially independent of BBC corporate decision-making, published further allegations about Wallace based on evidence from 50 people. Its lengthy report included testimony from 11 women who accused the established British TV presenter of inappropriate sexual behaviour, including groping and touching. Some of the women spoke to Silkins, BBC News reported. Wallace denied the fresh claims, accusing BBC News of 'peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.' He added that the Silkins review, a summary of which is expected to be published this week, had cleared him of the most 'serious and sensational' accusations. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gregg Wallace MBE (@greggawallace) The inquiry was launched late last year after BBC News published initial allegations that Wallace made 'inappropriate sexual comments' on five shows across a 17-year period. One of 13 people who made the allegations included Kirsty Wark, the former BBC Newsnight presenter who was a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011. Wallace's lawyers have always denied that he engaged in behavior of a 'sexually harassing nature.' Today's BBC News piece reveals allegations from 50 more people. One woman told BBC News that Wallace took his trousers down in front of her in a dressing room. Another woman, who worked on MasterChef in 2013, said Wallace 'squeezed my bum' during a wrap party. 'The most damaging claims were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation,' Wallace said, adding Silkins 'finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.' He 'apologized without reservation' for this. 'My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact that the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigate and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins. The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.' He accused BBC News of chasing 'slanderous click-bait' and publishing 'uncorroborated tittle tattle.' A BBC spokeswoman said: 'Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.' Banijay declined comment. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan's Next Film – 'The Odyssey': Release Date, Cast And More
Express Tribune
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Grantchester heads for one last adventure as production begins on final season
The beloved British period drama Grantchester will wrap up after its 11th season, as confirmed by PBS Masterpiece and ITV. The show, which has captivated audiences for a decade, will conclude its run on both networks, marking the end of a remarkable journey. Starring Robson Green as Geordie Keating, the series features an ensemble cast including Rishi Nair as Alphy Kottaram, Al Weaver as Leonard Finch, Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs. C, and Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating, among others. The show, known for its exploration of friendship, love, and mystery, has maintained a dedicated fanbase since its debut in 2015. Series creator and executive producer Daisy Coulam shared her gratitude in a statement: "At its heart, Grantchester is a show about the power of friendship and love. We've been so lucky over the last 11 series to experience that on and off-screen. For over a decade now, cast and crew, many of whom have been with us since the beginning, have come together every summer to film, and it's been an absolute joy." The series first aired as an ITV original before expanding to PBS Masterpiece, quickly becoming a staple of the channel's programming. In its early seasons, Grantchester featured James Norton as the vicar Sidney Chambers. However, from Season 4, Tom Brittney's Will Davenport became the central character, with Rishi Nair joining the cast in Season 9 as Alphy Kottaram, who will also close out the show. Susanne Simpson, Masterpiece's Head of Scripted Content, praised the show's unique blend of warmth, humor, and community. "It has been a joy to work with the brilliant team behind Grantchester," Simpson said. "We are proud to have been part of this extraordinary partnership for so long." Masterpiece is presented on PBS by GBH Boston.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Peter Straughan breaks down the power plays and personal tragedy in ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'
Few screenwriters working today are as adept at exploring the ins and outs of power—who has it, who wants it, and who will do anything to get it — as Conclave Oscar winner Peter Straughan. After picking up the Academy Award, he returned with another twisty, intricate tale of men plotting behind one another's backs with Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, the second and final adaptation of Hilary Mantel's historical novels that just finished airing on PBS Masterpiece. "Hilary's very accurate," Straughan tells Gold Derby over Zoom. "All the externals are accurate. And then, her great gift was to make the internals come to life." More from GoldDerby The surprising scene that the 'Andor' cinematographer loved the most Clancy Brown, Joel McHale, and more actors who self-submitted at this year's Emmys 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge on building an aspirational hero - who's not a superhero Mantel's beloved novels cast a fresh look upon the court of Henry VIII, in particular his advisor and confidant, Thomas Cromwell. And though Straughan had to condense Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies into a single season, The Mirror and the Light gets a full six episodes. And Straughan relished the challenge of distilling a nearly 800-page book into six hours of TV. "It's a huge novel, but I would give anything, any day, to have books like that to adapt," he says. "The material is so great. It's full of things you can use for drama: incredible scenes, great dialogue. The task was, of all the TV dramas you could make out of this, which one do you want to make?"Ultimately, Straughan focused on the ways in which Cromwell is unable to extricate himself from Henry VIII's seductive — and dangerous — inner circle, despite more than a few opportunities. And one of the great gifts of The Mirror and the Light is getting to see Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance return as Henry and Cromwell, playing their sometimes fraternal, sometimes fractious relationship for all its worth. "It gives you tremendous confidence when you're working with actors of that caliber," Straughan says. 'It makes you feel like you can do a lot of things that might make you nervous otherwise. When you're nervous about a scene, you put a lot more scaffolding in to make sure everything's clear. When you've got someone like Mark or Damian, you can [write] it with fewer touches, because you know they're gonna fill it all in with their faces, with their eyes." Those moments are among the most memorable — not just because of the performances, but because of Straughan's unerring eye for the telling detail and his pitch-perfect selection of what will work onscreen from Mantel's book. Think of Henry VIII's disappointed eagerness with Cromwell's reaction to his fancy dress costume, or Anne Boleyn's heartbreaking trembling in the moments before her execution, which opens the series. In this version, the executioner makes a noise behind Anne, which she turns towards, still blindfolded. And in the span of that moment, he steps back to her other side and slices off her head. The moment is unnerving, a stark reminder of the very real life-and-death stakes at play in Henry's court. There's another remarkable moment in that scene that Straughan also pulled from the book and singles out: 'She puts her hand up, and Cromwell says, 'Put your hand down. Put your hand down, because he'll cut through the hand.' Which is a horrible detail, but it always gets to me.' And though casual history buffs know that Cromwell, too, will end up on the executioner's block, Straughan's scripts have a level of immediacy that allows us to forget. 'We all know death's at the end of the journey. Always. The important thing is how does it happen?' Straughan says. 'And the thing that was so interesting with Cromwell's story was it's not very linear. It wasn't a slow decline. It was more like he was holding onto a balloon, then he goes higher and higher and you get scared for him. But I do think it's amazing that I felt myself, when I was watching it, that even though you know how it's gonna end, there's a bit of, like, Anne in the end of the first season, who still hopes somehow she's gonna be saved.' Best of GoldDerby 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge on building an aspirational hero — who's not a superhero Jonathan Pryce on the 'great responsibility' of playing a character with dementia in 'Slow Horses' 'Feel good about not conforming': Christina Ricci reflects on her iconic roles, from Wednesday Addams to Misty Quigley Click here to read the full article.
