Of all the brilliant TV coming to our screens this week, there’s one unmissable series that should have your name on it and it goes by the name of The Northumbria Mysteries. In classic detective drama style, the series whisks us off to a glorious coastal setting (ahem, Northumberland) where unlikely crime-solving double act Joe (Grantchester’s Robson Green) and Rose (Liz White) reside – and, in our humble opinion, it’s the BBC’s best detective drama yet.
What makes it so good, you ask? Well, Joe and Rose aren’t any old mismatched duo. Joe is a former con who's been on the wrong side of the law for much of his life and is now trying to make amends, volunteering at a local priory with the guidance of Father David (Simon Callow). But when the body of one of the monks turns up, it marks the beginning of Joe’s ‘second act’ – this time, on the right side of the law.
Rather conveniently, it comes ahead of Grantchester’s 11th and final series, which means our replacement is already lined up – and it’s arriving this Friday! Before you tune in, we’ve got all the inside details about the series, including the plot, cast and what time it starts.
What is The Northumbria Mysteries about?
The eight-part series takes us to the Northumberland coastline and its surrounding market towns, where we meet unlikely crime-solving duo, ex-con Joe Ruby (Robson Green) and Rose O’Connell (Liz White). Joe is a jack-of-all-trades whose life has been shaped by mistakes, regrets and missed opportunities, while Rose is an intellectual, deep thinker with a brilliant mind and an ice-cool disposition.
So, how exactly do they end up working together? Well, it all starts with a monk who’s found dead at the priory where he volunteers. Rose and her deputy, DS Raj Singh (Gurjeet Singh) are sent to investigate, but the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death mean it doesn’t prove easy. With his criminal past, Joe becomes the prime suspect, when he comes up with some insights from his own dodgy past, it seems he might be able to crack the case.
Robson Green told the BBC of his character: “Joe Ruby is a guy seeking redemption. He’s a gambler and a risk taker and someone who has always been lured into temptation despite having a good heart and wanting to do the right thing. He's a charmer, but he's fallible and through the choices he has made along the way he has lost everything.”
For her role as Rose, Liz White explained that she took inspiration from the likes of Helen Mirren and Anna Carteret: “I suppose I have been subliminally inspired by all the female coppers I have seen over the years. Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect and Anna Carteret as Juliet Bravo stand out,” she told the BBC.
“Rose is a grafter and gives the air at least, of being the smartest person in the room. Gordon Anderson, the director of our first block of filming aways used to remind me that Rose was the hero so if I ever had any doubts I would bear that in mind! Getting this role also coincided with my daughter’s developing interest in murder mystery programmes and so I had unknowingly been researching crime dramas for a couple of years. It all came in handy!”
Who’s in the cast of The Northumbria Mysteries?
The cast of The Northumbria Mysteries includes:
- Robson Green (Grantchester)
- Liz White (Ackley Bridge)
- Simon Callow (Outlander)
- Kevin Whately (Inspector Lewis)
- Gurjeet Singh (Three Girls)
- Chris Gascoyne (The Feud)
How can I watch The Northumbria Mysteries?
The Northumbria Mysteries premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on at 2pm Friday 23rd October.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
For a slightly grittier BBC series, we’d recommend In the Dark. The series revolves around whip-smart yet troubled detective Helen Weeks (MyAnna Buring) who juggles investigating complex crimes with a surprise pregnancy. You can watch In the Dark now on BBC iPlayer. To enter cosier territory, we’d suggest Queens of Mystery. Set in the quaint English village of Wildemarsh, Detective Sergeant Matilda Stone (Olivia Vinall) solves mysteries with the help of her three crime-writing aunts - Cat (Julie Graham), Beth (Sarah Woodward) and Jane (Siobhan Redmond). Queens of Mysteryis available to watch on Channel 4 and U.