A popular TV adaptation of murder-mystery novels set in Marlow has been renewed for a second series after breaking viewership records for the Drama channel.
UKTV announced on Tuesday, May 21, that a second series of The Marlow Murder Club is on the horizon, with film crews expected to return to the town this summer.
The cosy-crime drama, adapted from local novelist and screenwriter Robert Thorogood's book series of the same name, reportedly saw record ratings of 2.7 million viewers when it aired on the Drama channel and UKTV in March, marking the network's best-ever performance.
Thorogood will join forces with Midsomer Murders writer Julia Gilbert and Lucia Haynes to pen the screenplay for the second series, the first two episodes of which will focus on the author's second book, Death Comes to Marlow, with the next four based on original, standalone stories.
Samantha Bond, Cara Horgan and Jo Martin will return as Marlow's trio of sleuths-in-residence Judith, Becks and Suzie, to investigate "a seemingly impossible murder inside a locked study", "an unexpectedly brutal accident at the prestigious Marlow sailing club", and more.
Helen Perry, head of drama for UKTV, described the series, which is co-produced by Monumental Television in association with ITV, as a "smash hit".
She added: "We're delighted to be re-joining Judith Potts and the gang for more fun and puzzle-solving drama, and we know our viewers will love it too."
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Speaking to the Free Press in January, Thorogood likened his hometown to the fictional St Mary Mead of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novels and said it was the "perfect choice" for a deceptively idyllic murder mystery.
Film crews were warmly welcomed to Marlow last summer, when they filmed at the annual Regatta, in the graveyard of All Saints Church and even the Town Council building - temporary sets that could be set for a return to the small screen as soon as next year.
The first series was met with a positive local reaction after airing in the early spring, with Mayor David Brown, who moved to Marlow when he was 17, describing it as "fantastic" and "a love letter to the town".
Meanwhile, Helen Bull, the real-life wife of Marlow's vicar, Revered Dave Bull, praised her fictional counterpart Becks as a "brilliant, strong and independent lady", admitting, however, that she was not aware of having inspired the part.
The second series of The Marlow Murder Club is expected to air on the rebranded U&Drama channel in 2025.
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