Lynley (TV series)
| Lynley | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Based on | The Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George |
| Written by | Steve Thompson |
| Directed by | Ed Bazalgette |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Suzanne McAuley |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | BritBox (United States) |
| Release | 4 September 2025 – present |
| Network | BBC One (United Kingdom) |
| Release | 5 January 2026 – present |
Lynley is a British crime drama television series that is an adaptation of the Inspector Lynley novel series by Elizabeth George. Leo Suter plays the title role, Detective Inspector (DI) Tommy Lynley, alongside Sofia Barclay as Detective Sergeant (DS) Barbara Havers. The series premiered on 4 September 2025 on BritBox in the United States and on 5 January 2026 on BBC One in the United Kingdom.
Premise
A mismatched crime-solving detective duo working for the fictitious Three Counties police force (covering East Anglia) and based in Norfolk are teamed up: an aristocratic male police inspector and a maverick female sergeant from a working class background. Together, the two become a formidable team, bonded by their integrity and their desire to see justice done, while the series tackles issues around personality, gender, and class.[1]
Cast and characters
- Leo Suter as DI Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton
- Sofia Barclay as DS Barbara Havers
- Daniel Mays as Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Brian Nies
- Niamh Walsh as Helen Clyde
- Michael Workéyè as Tony Bakare
- Rosalyn Wright as Maia Saunders
- Joshua Sher as Simon St. James
- Nadia Parkes as Sofia
- Jack Archer as Frazer
- Eloise Thomas as Cynthia
- Tom Forbes as Gareth
- Oliver Wellington as Leo Hodgson
- Sophie Harkness as Gemma Swift
- Helene Maksoud as Susan Myerson
- Nathaniel Curtis as Prof Hamish Milne
- Kris Hitchen as DI Derek Horwood
Production
The Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley novels are adapted by Steve Thompson, who is also an executive producer. The four-part series is directed by Ed Bazalgette. It is produced by BritBox International, Playground and Salt Films.[2]
The series was purchased by the BBC in October 2024. Suzanne McAuley is series producer. David Stern and Colin Callender are executive producers for Playground with Robert Schildhouse, Stephen Nye, Jon Farrar and Jess O'Riordan executive producers for BritBox, Kate Woods executive producer for BBC Studios and Sue Deeks as executive producer for the BBC. A previous adaptation of the books, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, was broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2008.[3]
The cast is led by Leo Suter and Sofia Barclay and also includes Daniel Mays, Niamh Walsh and Michael Workéyè.[4]
Filming began in Ireland in August 2024.[5]
Broadcast
Lynley premiered on 4 September 2025 on BritBox in the United States.[6][7] In the United Kingdom, the series premiered on 5 January 2026 on BBC One, with all episodes made available on BBC iPlayer the same day.[8]
A review in The Guardian described it as "undemanding telly"[9]
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK air date | UK viewers (millions) [10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "A Place of Hiding" | Ed Bazalgette | Steve Thompson | 4 September 2025 | 5 January 2026 | 4.45 |
| 2 | 2 | "This Body of Death" | Ed Bazalgette | Steve Thompson | 11 September 2025 | 12 January 2026 | 4.13 |
| 3 | 3 | "Careless in Red" | Stewart Svaasand | Steve Thompson | 18 September 2025 | 19 January 2026 | 4.19 |
| 4 | 4 | "With No One as a Witness" | Ed Bazalgette | Steve Thompson | 25 September 2025 | 26 January 2026 | 4.18 |
References
- ^ Berman, Marc (16 October 2024). "'Lynley,' Based on the Crime Novels, Begins Filming for Britbox". Programminginsider.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (26 July 2024). "Inspector Lynley Series In The Works At BritBox International & 'Wolf Hall' Producer Playground". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (16 October 2024). "BBC Buys BritBox International's 'Lynley' Series As Elizabeth George Adaptation Rounds Out Cast & Rolls Cameras". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Cremona, Patrick (16 October 2024). "BBC announces Lynley adaptation with Ted Lasso, Line of Duty and Vera stars". Radio Times. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (23 August 2024). "Lynley reboot, toplined by Leo Suter and Sofia Barclay, filming in Ireland". CinEuropa. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ "Britbox/US Lynley". Britbox US. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ McPherson, Chris (16 October 2024). "Inspector Lynley Returns as BritBox Reboots the Beloved British Mystery Series". Collider. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ Cormack, Morgan (12 December 2025). "New Inspector Lynley adaptation with Sanditon favourite gets release date confirmed by the BBC". Radio Times. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (5 January 2026). "Lynley review – consider it the ultimate undemanding telly". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ "Weekly Top 50 Shows (select date from dropdown)". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 9 February 2026.