Samantha Bond leads new crime drama ‘The Marlow Murder Club’

Downton Abbey star Samantha Bond has joined a brand new TV series!

Best known as Lady Rosamund Painswick in ITV’s hit period drama series, she’ll lead the cast of The Marlow Murder Club.

Masterpiece and UKTV’s upcoming crime drama will see Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood adapt his popular 2021 novel.

“The Marlow Murder Club is exactly the kind of show that our MASTERPIECE Mystery! viewers will love,” commented executive producer Susanne Simpson.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Samantha Bond again…”

As well as her much-loved Downton character, Bond has appeared in Home Fires, Murdoch Mysteries, Lark Rise to Candleford, and four 007 movies as Miss Moneypenny alongside Pierce Brosnan.

She’s also worked with writer Robert Thorogood before, acting in a Death in Paradise episode called ‘Switcharoo’ in 2020.

Playing the lead role of Judith Potts in The Marlow Murder Club, Samantha Bond will be joined by Jo Martin (Doctor Who) as Suzie Harris, Cara Horgan (The Sandman) as Becks Starling, and Natalie Dew (The Capture) as DS Tanika Malik.

“After over a decade of working on Death in Paradise, I’m thrilled to be creating a brand-new murder mystery series for TV,” creator Robert Thorogood said.

“I can’t wait for audiences to join Judith, Becks and Suzie on their adventures as they solve a series of fiendishly puzzling murders.”

When’s the release date?

Filming is due to take place this summer, with Steve Barron (The Durrells) directing, so we’d expect the four-part series to premiere in late 2023 or early 2024.

The Marlow Murder Club will air on Masterpiece on PBS in the US on Sunday nights, while it’ll be shown on UKTV’s Drama channel in the UK.

“After a highly rewarding period of collaboration we are thrilled to be greenlighting Robert Thorogood’s adaptation of his hit novel for Drama,” said Philippa Collie Cousins, senior commissioning editor for UKTV.

“I’m very much looking forward to seeing these great scripts burst into life on screen.”

The official synopsis reads: “Retired archaeologist Judith Potts (Bond) lives alone in a faded mansion in the peaceful town of Marlow, filling her time by setting crosswords for the local paper.

“During one of her regular wild swims in the Thames, Judith hears a gunshot coming from a neighbor’s garden and believes a brutal murder has taken place.

“When the police are reluctant to believe her story, Judith finds herself forming an unlikely friendship with local dog-walker and empty-nester Suzie (Martin) and unfulfilled vicar’s wife Becks (Horgan) as they start an investigation of their own.

“Eventually asked to assist with the official police investigation, headed by newly promoted Tanika (Dew), the women must piece together clues, grill suspect witnesses, and face down real danger as they work against the clock to stop the killer in their tracks.”

Samantha Bond made a brief return as Lady Rosamund in last year’s Downton Abbey: A New Era movie.

Hopefully we’ll see more of her in the planned third film!

Robert Thorogood’s novel The Marlow Murder Club is available on Amazon.