The BBC has picked up the UK broadcast rights to ‘Lynley‘, a contemporary update of the compelling mystery crime series based on the best-selling novels by Elizabeth George, starring Leo Suter (Vikings: Valhalla) and Sofia Barclay (Ted Lasso).
DI Tommy Lynley (Suter) is a brilliant police detective but an outsider in the force – simply by virtue of his aristocratic upbringing. He is paired with DS Barbara Havers (Barclay), a sergeant with a maverick attitude and a working-class background. With seemingly nothing in common and against all odds, the mismatched duo of Lynley and Havers become a formidable team, bonded by their desire to see justice done.
Alongside Suter and Barclay, the drama also stars Daniel Mays (Line of Duty, Magpie Murders, Code 404) as DCI Brian Nies, the astute, suspicious Senior Detective at Three Counties Major Incident Team, whose aversion to Lynley is partly born of his own insecurities about class and partly because he knows he’s no longer the smartest person in the room; Niamh Walsh (The English Game, Jamestown) as Helen Clyde, an estate agent and Lynley’s former Oxford classmate whose romance with Lynley is sparked when their paths fatefully cross on a case; Michael Workeye (My Lady Jane) as tech specialist Tony Bekele; and Joshua Sher (Vera) as forensic scientist, Simon St. James.
This is the second time Elizabeth George’s “Inspector Lynley” novels have been adapted for TV. The BBC themselves adapted eleven of the stories for ‘The Inspector Lynley Mysteries’, which ran from 2001 to 2008. Since then, Elizabeth has written twelve more novels featuring the characters. This new version was originally commissioned for Britbox US, and has now been acquired by the BBC to air in the UK.
“I’m thrilled to see Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers come to television again, especially through the participation of the BBC and Britbox and the production expertise of Playground,” said Elizabeth George. “Watching my characters brought to life on television is a real celebration.”
The four-episode drama is created and written by Steve Thompson (Vienna Blood, Sherlock). Ed Bazalgette (Marie Antoinette S2, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die) serves as lead director with Suzanne McAuley (Magpie Murders, Love/Hate) as series producer. The executive producers are Steve Thompson, David Stern and Colin Callender for Playground, Robert Schildhouse, Stephen Nye, Jon Farrar and Jess O’Riordan for BritBox, Kate Woods for BBC Studios and Sue Deeks for the BBC. The drama will be distributed internationally by BBC Studios. The production company is Playground (Wolf Hall, All Creatures Great and Small).
“There is so much to enjoy in this new and exciting adaptation, both for fans of Elizabeth George’s gripping novels and of the BBC’s iconic The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and for viewers yet to encounter the magnetic attraction of Lynley,” adds Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition.
‘Lynley‘ is currently in production in Ireland, so does not yet have a premiere date, but will air on BBC One in the UK, and on Britbox in the USA. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.
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