U&Alibi have renewed ‘Bookish‘, starring and created by Emmy Award-winner Mark Gatiss, for a 2nd Season before Season 1 premieres this July, along with releasing a little clip of the upcoming drama.
London 1946 is the setting for series one, with viewers introduced to the appropriately named Gabriel Book (Gatiss), who owns a bookshop in Archangel Lane. 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 with the force is not without its dangers…
Although he is very happily married to his childhood best friend, the captivating Trottie (Polly Walker – Bridgerton, Line of Duty), Book is a gay man living at a time when homosexuality was illegal. When Book and Trottie take in Jack (Connor Finch – Everything I Know About Love), it seems like an act of altruism: a second chance for a young jailbird. And Jack 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.
“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,” said Gatiss on the renewal. “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.”
Gatiss, Walker, and Finch are joined by Blake Harrison (Still Up, World on Fire) as Sergeant Morris, Olivier award-winner Elliot Levey (We Were the Lucky Ones, Quiz) as Inspector Bliss, and Buket Kömür (Our House) as Nora in the core cast.
Season one guest stars include Joely Richardson (The Gentleman, The Ballad of Renegade Nell), Daniel Mays (The Long Shadow, Code 404), Jonas Nay (Deutschland 83, Concordia), Rosie Cavaliero (The Power of Parker, Funny Woman), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Bodies, The Great), Tom Forbes (Champion, Rules of the Game), Amanda Drew (The Gold, Wolf) Luke Norris (Poldark, The Girl Before), Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife, Passenger) and Michael Workéyè (Playdate, This is Going to Hurt).
“Mark Gatiss is a singular creative force, whose work is loved by viewers,” said Helen Perry, head of drama commissioning, UKTV. “Bookish is the story Mark is most excited to tell, and we are delighted to be bringing it to life. The world Mark has lovingly created for Bookish is so rich and colourful, series one was only ever going to be just the starting point. There’s so much more for Book to do, more characters for our viewers to meet and more stories to unravel – the potential for Bookish is vast. So, we can’t wait to continue working with Eagle Eye on series two and huge thanks to Mark for his limitless creative vision.”
The drama consists of six 70-minute episodes per season, with three cases spanning two episodes each. Filming for the second series will get underway this summer, with more details to be shared in the coming months. The spin-off book, written by Matthew Sweet and also titled Bookish, will be released on 10th July 2025 and will tell the crime stories from Nora’s perspective.
The U&Original series has been commissioned by Helen Perry, head of drama commissioning for UKTV, and ordered by Emma Tibbetts, director of programming – scripted, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Executive producers for Eagle Eye Drama are Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino. The series, co-written with Matthew Sweet and Ian Hallard, will be directed by Carolina Giammetta and produced by Jake Harvey.
‘Bookish‘ Season 1 will premiere in July 2025 on U&Alibi. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. PBS will air the series in the USA.
