PBS Distribution has acquired the North American rights to Bookish, a new period mystery-crime drama series from Mark Gatiss, which will be shown on PBS in the US.
The deal for Bookish continues the fruitful relationship between PBS Distribution and the show’s producer, Eagle Eye Drama, which has brought viewers in North America such shows as the British versions of the Swedish crime thriller Before We Die and the Belgian whodunit series Professor T, as well as the Italy-set British period drama Hotel Portofino — all of which premiered in the US on PBS and stream on PBS.org and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.
Now we have Bookish to look forward to! Created by and starring Primetime Emmy® Award winner Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who), the six-episode series consists of three two-part detective stories.
Set in post-war London in 1946, Bookish centers on Gabriel Book (Gatiss), the clever and erudite proprietor of an antiquarian bookshop. He’s also a maverick consultant detective to the local police. It is from his bookshop that Book helps the police to solve a variety of mysterious crimes, as the thousands of books that line the shelves provide him with all the knowledge he needs.
But Book has more than books about him. He’s gathered around him a host of lovable, damaged misfits, such as his colorful wife, Trottie (Polly Walker, Bridgerton, Line of Duty), who runs the wallpaper shop next door. Theirs is a loving “lavender” marriage, which helps to conceal Book’s sexual orientation at a time when it was illegal to be gay in Britain.
In addition to Gatiss and Walker, the core cast includes Connor Finch (Everything I Know About Love) as Jack, Elliot Levey (We Were the Lucky Ones) as Inspector Bliss, Buket Kömür (Our House) as Nora, and Blake Harrison (World on Fire, The Inbetweeners) as Sergeant Morris.
The top-notch guest cast includes Joely Richardson (The Gentleman), Daniel Mays (The Long Shadow), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Bodies), Paul McGann (Annika), Michael Workéyè (This is Going to Hurt), Luke Norris (Poldark), and Jonas Nay (Deutschland 83), amongst others.
A production of Eagle Eye Drama and Happy Duck Films, with support from the Belgian Tax Shelter, Bookish is co-written by Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet (Doctor Who) and directed by Carolina Giammetta (Before We Die, Vera). It is produced by Christopher Arcache (Hotel Portofino) and Helen Perry (Bergerac), and executive produced by Walter Iuzzolino and Jo McGrath for Eagle Eye Drama and Dries Vos for Happy Duck Films.
Beta Film is handling international sales for Bookish, which was created as a U&Original series for Alibi, the specialist crime drama channel in the UK. The company has announced that BBC First has acquired the series for Benelux, as has AMC Networks for Latin America and Brazil, Turkish Radio and Television TRT for Turkey, and HRT for Croatia, with negotiations underway for additional territories.
PBS has not yet announced the US premiere date for Bookish. Stay tuned for updates.
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