Wondering what to watch on telly tonight? Well, look no further, as Mark Gatiss’ new murder mystery Bookish will be available to watch from this evening (16 July) and it promises to be a ‘reckless and life affirming’ ride. The UKTV crime drama is set in 1940s London and centres on Mark’s character, the appropriately named bookshop owner Gabriel Book.

While Gabriel may seem to be living a quiet, book-filled life with his wife Trottie (Polly Walker), he’s harnessing more than a secret or two. Gabriel moonlights as a sleuth, helping the police solve ‘the strangest of crimes and the knottiest of murders’ with the help of Trottie and their new shop assistant, Jack (Connor Finch).

bookish
UKTV/Alibi

However, the synopsis teases that ‘Jack’s appointment wasn’t quite as random as it at first appears’. To complicate matters even further, Gabriel is also living a double personal, as well as professional, life. His marriage to Trottie – his childhood best friend – is, in fact, what’s known as a ‘lavender’ marriage of convenience. In reality, he’s a gay man who’s living at a time when homosexuality is still illegal.

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The series is set across six episodes and promises ‘a complex mystery at the heart of every story, featuring a wealth of well-known guest stars’. Line of Duty’s Daniel Mays will be appearing in the show, as will British comedic actress Rosie Cavaliero and Doctor Who’s Paul McGann, while The Inbetweeners’ Blake Harrison stars as Sergeant Morris.

A release bills the crime series as a ‘stylish period detective drama with a difference’, which marries ‘post-war nostalgia with the reckless and life affirming atmosphere of the times’, and you can watch the trailer above.

A series two has already been confirmed ahead of the first episode of series one – and we can’t wait to watch tonight!

Bookish debuts onWednesday 16 July at 8pm with a double bill on U&Alibi, which is available via Sky 109/826, Virgin 126/200, BT 312/382, TalkTalk 312. It is available on demand through Sky, Virgin and NOW.