Thursday 18 April 2024

Tom Durant Pritchard (This Is Going To Hurt, The Crown) has joined the cast for the fifth series of hit crime drama Miss Scarlet, with Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders, The Crown) returning as fan favourite Miss Eliza Scarlet. Filming is currently underway in Belgrade, Serbia and is set to return to Alibi in 2025.

Following the departure of Stuart Martin, who played William "The Duke" Wellington in the previous four series, Tom steps into the role of Alexander Blake, a handsome former soldier and respected detective inspector who joins the force at Scotland Yard to replace the Duke who has gone to America. Shortly after he starts his new job, he meets private detective Miss Eliza Scarlet. He's not particularly shocked by a woman working as a private eye, so Eliza takes this to mean she'll be given more cases. But their relationship gets off to a rocky start since Blake has decided not to allow private detectives to aid in his investigations. As Blake and Miss Scarlet cross paths at various crime scenes across London, they can't help but develop mutual respect for one another, and perhaps even an attraction.

Tom Durant Pritchard said:

I am thrilled to be joining the team and to become part of the Scarlet family. Working with Kate has been a dream and she's been so welcoming.

In addition to Durant Pritchard and Phillips, series regulars Evan McCabe as Detective Fitzroy, Cathy Belton as Ivy, Felix Scott as Patrick Nash, Paul Bazely as Clarence, Simon Ludders as Mr. Potts, and Tim Chipping as Detective Phelps have all returned for series five.

Miss Scarlet Limited's Patty Lenahan Ishimoto added: "Rachael New and Ben Edwards, our talented writers, have crafted yet another captivating character in Alexander Blake and Tom brings him to life brilliantly. He is generous with his wit and charm and truly a welcome addition to the team."

Susanne Simpson, executive producer of MASTERPIECE said: "I can't wait for the Miss Scarlet fans to meet Alexander Blake and see how he and Eliza will get along. We're so fortunate to have found Tom Durant Pritchard - he's the perfect Inspector Blake." MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by GBH Boston.

Melanie Rumani, global head of acquisitions at BBC Studios and UKTV added: "It's great to see the Miss Scarlet series venture into an exciting new territory with the introduction of Alexander Blake. This character will bring a fresh dynamic to the series whilst also maintaining the wit, charm and mystery that our audiences love most."

Created by Rachael New, the series is written by Rachael New and Ben Edwards. The executive producers are Harvey Myman, Susanne Simpson, Jin Ishimoto, Patrick Irwin, Patty Lenahan Ishimoto, and Rachael New. The Irish co-producer is Jim Duggan, Serbian co-producer Andelija Vlaisavljevic and the senior series producer for MASTERPIECE is Erin Delaney. The directors for season five are Ivan Zivkovic and Milos Kodemo. Miss Scarlet is a Miss Scarlet Limited production co-produced with MASTERPIECE in association with Other Mans Shoes and Work in Progress with pre-investment from UKTV.

Series 1-4 of Miss Scarlet are available to stream on Sky, Virgin and NOW in the UK and will air later in the year on BBC First in the Netherlands and Belgium. Series five will be available on Alibi in 2025. Other UKTV original dramas due to air on Alibi next year include I, Jack Wright (produced by Federation Stories) and Bookish (produced by Eagle Eye Drama).

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For more information, please contact:

Shannon Bulmer, Publicist, UKTV

Notes for Editors:

About Alibi

Sky 109/826, Virgin 126/200, BT 312/382, TalkTalk 312, TV Player On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk

Alibi is the only TV channel dedicated to crime drama, investigating the best selection from the genre and premiering hit series from around the world such as CSI: Vegas, So Help Me Todd, Dark Winds and Black Sands.

Alibi's offering of UKTV Original crime drama series give viewers guaranteed thrills, twists and turns through hit shows including Annika, starring Nicola Walker, Traces, starring Molly Windsor and Martin Compston and We Hunt Together, starring Eve Myles and Babou Ceesay. Sophie Rundle also leads the cast in Barcelona-set drama, The Diplomat, while Anjli Monindra, Marc Warren and Adjoa Andoh star in the brand-new series from writer Toby Whithouse, The Red King.

Alibi is also home to fan favourites, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Murdoch Mysteries and Hudson and Rex, and gives viewers another chance to catch hugely popular British crime dramas including Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Silent Witness.

@alibi_channel

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

About MASTERPIECE

Winner of 83 Primetime Emmys(R) and 18 Peabody Awards, MASTERPIECE has been essential Sunday night viewing for millions of fans for over 50 years. Susanne Simpson is the executive producer. Series funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking Cruises, Raymond James, The MASTERPIECE Trust, and public television viewers. Produced for PBS by GBH Boston, MASTERPIECE is known for hits such as All Creatures Great and Small, Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Wolf Hall, and beloved classics such as Upstairs Downstairs, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga and Poldark. For more information, please visit pbs.org/masterpiece and follow us on social media @masterpiecepbs.