Miss Scarlet and The Duke

In Victorian London, 1882, Eliza Scarlet is left almost penniless when her father, Henry, unexpectedly dies. Although marriage would appear to be her only option for financial security, Eliza resolves to take over her father's detective agency alone, working under his name. Struggling to build her reputation in the male-dominated world of crime-solving, she frequently calls on her childhood friend William Wellington, a gruff Scottish detective inspector of Scotland Yard, for assistance.

William is known in the police force as "The Duke" or simply "Duke", a nickname referring to the Duke of Wellington.^[8] Eliza's late father Henry saved William from the London streets after he arrived from Glasgow as a child and later mentored him as he trained as a policeman. As a result, William looked up to Henry as a father figure. William once kissed Eliza following her dog's death, which he characterises as "a chaste kiss," to her annoyance. Though he is irritated by Eliza's detective aspirations, he cares for her and gradually begins to show respect for her skills.

Eliza also befriends Rupert Parker, a wealthy man who provides her with direly needed loans. Rupert is the bachelor (and secretly gay) son of Mrs. Parker, a rich landlady who owns Eliza's home, and relies on Eliza's advice to navigate his personal life. Eliza lives with her housekeeper, Ivy Woods, who helped raise her after Eliza's mother died (some time before the series begins). Eliza and William bicker and argue constantly but also share moments of subtle flirtation and care for each other deeply.

Series writer and creator Rachael New took inspiration for Eliza's character from Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.^[8] Born into a middle-class family, Eliza uses her appearance as a refined Victorian lady to her advantage; both clients and suspects underestimate her, and she frequently relies on this, her wits, and her father's training to solve cases. William and Eliza work on several cases together, though she is uncredited, causing disputes between them. Eliza also relies on a Jamaican criminal, Moses, for help dealing with the dangerous underworld of London. Moses is amused by Eliza's gumption, and they connect as outsiders to society.

The first series was filmed in Dublin, Ireland,^[1][4] with exteriors of Eliza's home shot on Mount Pleasant Square, Ranelagh. The distinctive green dome of Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners Church, Rathmines is visible in some street scenes. The police station where the Duke works is in fact the CBS Westland Row in Cumberland Street.^{[citation needed]}

As of series 2, production moved to Belgrade, Serbia,^[2] where it remains as of series 5.^[3][14]

The first series began broadcasting on Alibi in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2020,^[9] and premiered in the United States on 17 January 2021, as part of PBS's Masterpiece anthology series.^[11][15]

A second series was announced by PBS on 29 March 2021.^[16] It first aired on Alibi in the UK on 14 June 2022,^[10] and later on PBS in the US on 16 October 2022.^[11]

Miss Scarlet and The Duke was later renewed for series three and four.^[17] Series three premiered on PBS on 8 January 2023 with weekly installments,^[11][18][19] though all episodes were made available via the membership video-on-demand service PBS Passport on 24 November 2022.^[19][20] Episodes were also released weekly on Amazon Prime Video's PBS Masterpiece subscription channel beginning 24 November 2022.^[19] Series four premiered on PBS on 7 January 2024 with weekly installments,^[11][21] and all episodes made available that day via PBS Passport.^[22]

The renewal announcement for series five also mentioned that actor Stuart Martin would be leaving the series, and his character William "The Duke" Wellington would be written off the show. As a result the show would be renamed Miss Scarlet starting with the fifth series.^[5] Stuart Martin had made the decision himself to leave the show as he felt Miss Scarlet was being held back by The Duke's presence in her life, and the show had taken The Duke's character as far as he could go within the series^[23] and that Scarlet's character could "explore new stories and challenges for now."^[24] The creators said they chose not to kill Martin's character off because "we just thought it would be too final, too cruel for Eliza, for the audience, and quite frankly, would limit our options for the show going forward, I think. But at this point in their lives, I think Duke and Eliza aren't ready to be together."^[25]