Bookish (TV series)
British television series (2025–present)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bookish is a British crime drama television series created by and starring Mark Gatiss. It was renewed for a second series prior to the broadcast of the first series. A Christmas two-part special is due to air in December 2026, and a third series has been commissioned.[1]
| Bookish | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mystery Crime drama Period drama |
| Created by | Mark Gatiss |
| Written by | Mark Gatiss Matthew Sweet Ian Hallard |
| Directed by | Carolina Giammetta |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | Sarah Warne |
| Countries of origin | United Kingdom Belgium |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Mark Gatiss Carolina Giammetta Jo McGrath Walter Iuzzolino |
| Producer | Christopher Arcache |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | U&Alibi |
| Release | 16 July 2025 – present |
Synopsis
An unconventional book shop owner, Gabriel Book, helps police solve crimes in 1946 London.[2] It also follows the story of Gabriel's marriage to Trottie; they are in a lavender marriage.[3] Book’s interest in Jack, a recently released petty criminal, whom he hires to work in the bookshop, is another thread through the first season.
Cast
Main cast
- Mark Gatiss as Gabriel Book[4]
- Polly Walker as Trottie Book[4]
- Elliot Levey as Inspector Bliss[4]
- Connor Finch as Jack[4]
- Buket Kömür as Nora[4]
- Blake Harrison as Sergeant Morris[5]
Recurring cast
- Rosie Cavaliero as Mrs. Dredge[5][6]
- Gerard Horan as Baseheart[6]
- Nadia Albina as Dr. Calder[6]
- Jonas Nay as Felix[4]
- Tim McInnerny as D (series 1)
- Simon Callow as E (series 2)[7]
- Rupert Graves as Colonel Reggie Winters (series 2)[6]
Guest cast
- Daniel Mays as Eric Wellbeloved[4]
- Ella Bruccoleri as Merula Harkup[5]
- Tom Forbes as Mickey Hall[5]
- Joely Richardson as Sandra Dare[4]
- Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Stewart Howard[5]
- Amanda Drew as Nerina Bean[5]
- Luke Norris as Jesse Mackendrick[5]
- Michael Workéyè as Billy[5]
- Paul McGann as Mr. Kind
- Angeliki Papoulia as Princess Ruhije
- Rina Krasniqi as Princess Nafije
- Mark Umbers as Victor Orr
- Elizabeth Berrington as Sylvia Orr
- Jason Watkins as Harold Sneed[6]
- Saffron Coomber as Ayesha
- Sorcha Groundsell as Geraldine Mercer
- Sid Sagar as Professor Chopra
- Youssef Kerkour as Yusuf[6]
- Allan Corduner as Maxie Kleinmann[6]
- Liza Sadovy as Ruth Kleinmann
- Oli Fyne as Hannah Krasinski
- Claire Skinner as Mrs. Calthrop[6]
- Ruth Codd as India Flynn[6]
- Michael Simkins as Luther Von Bode
- Miranda Richardson as Duchess Alberta[6]
- Naoko Mori as Madam Yamauchi
- Ingrid Oliver as Liesl Pohl
Series overview
Episodes
Series 1 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Slightly Foxed: Part 1" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss | 16 July 2025 |
| 2 | 2 | "Slightly Foxed: Part 2" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss | 16 July 2025 |
| 3 | 3 | "Deadly Nitrate: Part 1" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss & Matthew Sweet | 16 July 2025 |
| 4 | 4 | "Deadly Nitrate: Part 2" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss & Matthew Sweet | 16 July 2025 |
| 5 | 5 | "Such Devoted Sisters: Part 1" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss & Matthew Sweet | 16 July 2025 |
| 6 | 6 | "Such Devoted Sisters: Part 2" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss & Matthew Sweet | 16 July 2025 |
Series 2 (2026)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Memento Mori: Part 1" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss | 26 August 2026 |
| 8 | 2 | "Memento Mori: Part 2" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss | 26 August 2026 |
| 9 | 3 | "Dead Man's Whistle: Part 1" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss and Mathew Sweet | 2 September 2026 |
| 10 | 4 | "Dead Man's Whistle: Part 2" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss and Mathew Sweet | 2 September 2026 |
| 11 | 5 | "Killer Nacht: Part 1" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss and Ian Hallard | 9 September 2026 |
| 12 | 6 | "Killer Nacht: Part 2" | Carolina Giammetta | Mark Gatiss and Ian Hallard | 9 September 2026 |
Christmas Special (2026)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Crown of Destiny: Part 1" | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 2 | 2 | "The Crown of Destiny: Part 2" | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Production
The six-part first series is produced by Eagle Eye Drama and is produced in association with Belgium-based Happy Duck Films. Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino are executive producers and the series is co-written by Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet. Carolina Giammetta is the director and Christopher Arcache is the producer.[10]
The cast is led by Gatiss, with Polly Walker, Elliott Levey, Connor Finch and Buket Kömür.[4] The cast also includes Blake Harrison, Rosie Cavaliero, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Tom Forbes, Joely Richardson, Daniel Mays, Amanda Drew, and Luke Norris.[5]
Filming got underway in Belgium in April 2024.[11] It was renewed for a second series prior to the broadcast of the first series.[12] Special guest stars confirmed for the second series include Ruth Codd, Jason Watkins, Miranda Richardson, Simon Callow, Rupert Graves, Claire Skinner and Youssef Kerkour.[6]
Gatiss revealed on Instagram that filming has officially wrapped on Season 2, which will have six episodes. It airs in the U.K. on 26 August 2026.