Alibi Drama 'Bookish' Finalizes Cast as Filming Begins

Filming has officially begun on Bookish, the latest entry in the longstanding British mystery tradition of "people with increasingly random jobs who also help the police solve murders for fun". This one, perhaps the most perfectly imagined TV take on this concept yet, focuses on a gay bookshop owner in post-war London who uses his love of reading (and his easy access to a wide variety of research information) to fight crime. 

The drama hails from Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss, who is both writing and starring in the six-part series. (Insert your own jokes about consulting detectives here.) Gatiss plays the aptly named Gabriel Book, an unconventional owner of an antiquarian bookstore who uses the thousands of tomes at his fingertips to help the police think outside of the box and find the answers that might otherwise elude them. 

With production now underway, the series has added several new cast members to its existing roster. Blake Harrison (World on Fire) has joined the series in the role of Sargeant Morris, with Rosie Cavaliero (Funny Woman), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Bodies), Tom Forbes (Champion), Amanda Drew (The Gold), Luke Norris (Poldark), Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife), and Michael Workéyè  (This Is Going to Hurt) signing on as guest stars. 

They join Bridgerton's Polly Walker, who plays Book's wife Trottie, the charming owner of the wallpaper shop next door, whose "lavender marriage" to her husband is meant to help conceal his sexual orientation during a time when homosexuality was still illegal. 

Here's the series' synopsis. 

London, 1946 is the dynamic, dangerous and chaotic setting for this stylish new detective drama, with the eccentric Gabriel Book (Gatiss) at the very heart of the story: a self-appointed consultant detective to the local police. The thousands of books that line the shelves of his shop provide him with all the knowledge he needs

Other previously announced cast members include Connor Finch (Everything I Know About Love), Elliot Levey (We Were the Lucky Ones), and Buket Kömür (Our House), along with guest stars Joely Richardson (Renegade Nell), Daniel Mays (The Long Shadow), and Jonas Nay (Line of Separation). 

Bookish is co-written by Gatiss and Matthew Sweet, directed by Carolina Giammetta, and produced by Christopher Arcache. It hails from producer Eagle Eye Drama, the company behind international dramas like Hotel Portofino and English language remakes of popular Walter Presents dramas like Professor T and Before We Die. 

The six-episode series will follow three distinct cases, each spread over two 70-minute installments. Bookish does not currently have an American distributor, but Alibi is aiming for a 2025 premiere. international partner, Beta Film is handling the world sales, and let's all cross our fingers that someone is already talking to PBS about this show because it would be a perfect fit.