Miss Scarlet and The Duke

Miss Scarlet and The Duke
Genre	Crime drama Historical drama
Created by	Rachael New
Starring	Kate Phillips Stuart Martin Ansu Kabia Cathy Belton
Country of origin	United Kingdom United States
Original language	English
No. of series	4
No. of episodes	24
Production
Executive producers	Todd Berger Patrick Irwin Jin Ishimoto Patty Ishimoto Harvey Myman Rachael New Declan O'Dwyer (series 1) Kate Phillips (series 4-) Stuart Martin (series 4)
Producers	Aaron Farrell (series 1) Patty Ishimoto - Series producer (series 4-)
Production locations	Ireland (series 1) Serbia (series 2– )
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Element 8 Entertainment A+E Networks UK GBH Boston Shinawil (series 1) 87 Films (series 2– ) Other Mans Shoes (series 4– ) Work in Progress (series 4– )
Original release
Network	Alibi (UK/Ireland) PBS (US)
Release	31 March 2020 (2020-03-31) – present

Miss Scarlet and The Duke is a British-American period television crime drama created by Rachael New, starring Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin as the title characters, two Victorian era detectives.

The first series debuted on Alibi in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2020, and premiered in the United States on 17 January 2021, as part of PBS's Masterpiece anthology series. A second series was announced by PBS on 29 March 2021. It premiered on Alibi in the UK on 14 June 2022, and on PBS in the US on 16 October 2022. The show was later renewed for series three and four, with series three premiering on PBS on 8 January 2023, and season four premiering on PBS on 7 January 2024.

It was announced in the United States on 29 February 2024, on PBS's Masterpiece website, that Miss Scarlet and the Duke would be renewed for a fifth series. The announcement also contained the news that the show would be retitled simply Miss Scarlet, with Stuart Martin as "the Duke" departing the show. He will be replaced by Tom Durant Pritchard as Inspector Alexander Blake.

Plot and characters

In Victorian London, 1882, Eliza Scarlet is left almost penniless when her father, Henry, unexpectedly dies. Although marriage would appear to be her only option for financial security, Eliza resolves to take over her father's detective agency alone, working under his name. Struggling to build her reputation in the male-dominated world of crime-solving, she frequently calls on her childhood friend William Wellington, a gruff Scottish detective inspector of Scotland Yard, for assistance.

William is known in the police force as "The Duke" or simply "Duke", a nickname referring to the Duke of Wellington. Eliza's late father Henry saved William from the London streets after arriving from Glasgow as a child, and later mentored him as he trained as a policeman. As a result, William looked up to Henry as a father figure. William once kissed Eliza following her dog's death, which he characterises as "a chaste kiss," to her annoyance. Though he is irritated by Eliza's detective aspirations, he cares for her and gradually begins to show respect for her skills.

Eliza also befriends Rupert Parker, a wealthy man who provides her with direly needed loans. Rupert is the bachelor (and secretly gay) son of Mrs. Parker, a rich landlady who owns Eliza's home, and relies on Eliza's advice to navigate his personal life. Eliza lives with her housekeeper, Ivy Woods, who helped raise her after Eliza's mother died (some time before the series begins). Eliza and William bicker and argue constantly, but also share moments of subtle flirtation and care for each other deeply.

Series writer and creator Rachael New took inspiration for Eliza's character from Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Born into a middle-class family, Eliza uses her appearance as a refined Victorian lady to her advantage; both clients and suspects underestimate her and she frequently relies on this, her wits, and her father's training to solve cases. William and Eliza work on several cases together, though she is uncredited, causing disputes between them. Eliza also relies on a Black criminal, Moses, for help dealing with the dangerous underworld of London. Moses is amused by Eliza's gumption, and they connect as outsiders to society.

Cast

Overview

Actor	Character	Occupation	Series
			1	2	3	4
Kate Phillips	Eliza Scarlet	Private detective	Main
Stuart Martin	William "Duke" Wellington	Police detective inspector	Main
Ansu Kabia	Moses Valentine	Petty criminal; Eliza's assistant	Main			Does not appear
Cathy Belton	Ivy Woods	Housekeeper	Main
Simon Ludders	Mr Potts	Coroner	Recurring	Regular
Kevin Doyle	Henry Scarlet	Private detective	Regular	Does not appear
Andrew Gower	Rupert Parker	Businessman	Regular	Does not appear
Matthew Malone	Clarence Honeychurch	Police constable	Recurring	Does not appear
Danny Midwinter	Frank Jenkins	Police detective sergeant	Regular	Does not appear
Nick Dunning	Stirling	Police superintendent	Regular	Does not appear
Richard Evans	Herr Hildegard	Funeral director	Regular	Does not appear
Amy McAllister	Tilly Hildegard		Recurring	Does not appear
Ian Pirie	Monro	Police superintendent	Does not appear	Regular		Does not appear
Evan McCabe	Oliver Fitzroy	Police detective	Does not appear	Regular
Tim Chipping	Phelps	Police detective sergeant	Does not appear	Regular
Jessie Cave	Harriet "Hattie" Parker	Lady's companion	Does not appear	Regular	Does not appear
Felix Scott	Patrick Nash	Private detective	Does not appear	Recurring	Regular
Brian Bovell	Solomon	Shopkeeper	Does not appear	Recurring		Does not appear
Sophie Robertson	Arabella Acaster	Restaurant owner	Does not appear		Recurring	Does not appear
Helen Norton	Mrs Parker	Landlady	Recurring		Does not appear
Oliver Chris	Basil Sinclaire	Journalist	Does not appear	Recurring
Laura Rollins	Clementine	Sex worker	Does not appear	Recurring		Does not appear
Paul Bazely	Clarence	Bookkeeper	Does not appear			Regular

Detective agency

• Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet, an ambitious young woman who takes over her late father's detective agency
• Laura Marcus as young Eliza Scarlet
• Ansu Kabia as Moses Valentine, a Jamaican British petty criminal whom Eliza frequently hires as an assistant, informant, or debt collector (series 1-3)
• Kevin Doyle as Henry Scarlet (series 1), Eliza's father and William's mentor
• Andrew Gower as Rupert Parker (series 1), Eliza's friend and investor

Police officials

• Stuart Martin as William "Duke" Wellington (series 1-4), a detective inspector with the Metropolitan Police
• Matt Olsen as young William "Duke" Wellington
• Simon Ludders as Mr Potts (series 1–2; guest, series 3–), a city coroner, who antagonises Eliza but later romantically pursues Ivy
• Matthew Malone as Clarence Honeychurch (series 1), a police constable
• Danny Midwinter as Frank Jenkins (series 1), William's assistant, a detective sergeant
• Nick Dunning as Superintendent Stirling (series 1), William's supervisor
• Ian Pirie as Superintendent Monro (series 2– ), Stirling's successor
• Evan McCabe as Oliver Fitzroy (series 2– ), a new and untested detective, and the son of the police commissioner
• Tim Chipping as DS Phelps (series 2– ), a harsh colleague of William's
• Tom Durant Pritchard as Alexander Blake (series 5), a former soldier turned inspector who replaces William following his departure for America

Associates

• Cathy Belton as Ivy Woods, Eliza's housekeeper
• Richard Evans as Herr Hildegard (series 1), a funeral director who works near Eliza's office
• Amy McAllister as Tilly Hildegard (series 1), Herr Hildegard's German niece, who pursues and eventually marries Rupert
• Jessie Cave as Harriet "Hattie" Parker (series 2), Mrs Parker's niece and companion
• Felix Scott as Patrick Nash (recurring, series 2; regular, series 3– ), another private detective
• Paul Bazely as Clarence (regular, series 4) a bookkeeper employed by Patrick Nash
• Brian Bovell as Solomon (guest, series 2; regular, series 3 ), a shopkeeper specialising in exotic poisons
• Sophie Robertson as Arabella Acaster (series 3 ), an old schoolmate who bullied Eliza as a child
• Helen Norton as Mrs Parker (recurring, series 1–2), Eliza's landlady and Rupert's mother
• Oliver Chris as Basil Sinclaire (recurring, series 2– ), a journalist specialising in sensational crime stories
• Laura Rollins as Clementine (recurring, series 2–3 ), a sex worker and friend of Moses', occasionally hired by Eliza for various tasks

Episodes

Series overview

Series	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	6		31 March 2020 (2020-03-31)	5 May 2020 (2020-05-05)
2	6		14 June 2022 (2022-06-14)	19 July 2022 (2022-07-19)
3	6		8 January 2023 (2023-01-08)	12 February 2023 (2023-02-12)
4	6		7 January 2024 (2024-01-07)	11 February 2024 (2024-02-11)

Series 1 (2020)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Inheritance"	Declan O'Dwyer	Rachael New	31 March 2020 (2020-03-31)
After the death of her ailing private detective father, Eliza Scarlet is forced to take on a missing persons case to pay his debts, but the investigation is complicated when she realizes that her client, a seasoned con man, has manipulated her to gain control of his wife's inheritance. With the aid of her father's old protégé, Detective Inspector William "Duke" Wellington, and local criminal Moses Valentine, Eliza proves that her client is a bigamist and apprehends him, enabling his wife to regain her inheritance and her freedom.
2	"The Woman in Red"	Declan O'Dwyer	Rachael New	7 April 2020 (2020-04-07)
Eliza's landlady, enraged by the former's refusal to marry her son, calls in the unpaid lease she owes for her ancestral home. Eliza is hired to investigate a murder — only to discover that the dead man committed suicide and that the supposed murderer was framed by his wife after she uncovered his homosexuality. With help from Moses, she obtains the necessary evidence to clear the man's name seconds before his execution. Eliza subsequently hires Moses to collect payment from a difficult former client and pays off her lease in full.
3	"Deeds Not Words"	Declan O'Dwyer	Rachael New	14 April 2020 (2020-04-14)
Duke hires Eliza to go undercover and infiltrate a women's suffrage group campaigning for the vote.
4	"Memento Mori"	Declan O'Dwyer	Ben Edwards	21 April 2020 (2020-04-21)
Eliza finds herself contacted by a death photographer who seems to be receiving bizarre and threatening messages from beyond the grave. She later makes a surprising discovery about her father and realises that Duke is taking the credit for solving cases that she herself has solved.
5	"Cell 99"	Declan O'Dwyer	Ben Edwards	28 April 2020 (2020-04-28)
Eliza's discovery of her father's casebook leads her to an abandoned prison on the outskirts of London. She and William investigate what seems like an empty building, but they soon discover that it is the hideout for a criminal gang. William believes Moses is involved, but Eliza defends him.
6	"The Case of Henry Scarlet"	Declan O'Dwyer	Rachael New	5 May 2020 (2020-05-05)
Eliza discovers that her father's death may have been murder. With time running out, she has to solve a perplexing puzzle.

Series 2 (2022)

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
7	1	"Pandora's Box"	Steve Hughes	Rachael New	14 June 2022 (2022-06-14)
Eliza is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young woman who works at Wentworth's department store: a case which has already been dismissed by Duke.
8	2	"The Black Witch Moth"	Steve Hughes	Rachael New	21 June 2022 (2022-06-21)
Eliza is hired by an insurance company to investigate the theft of a rare sketch by Charles Darwin, but the case becomes more complicated when she finds that the insurance company that hired her doesn't exist.
9	3	"A Pauper's Grave"	Steve Hughes	Rachael New	28 June 2022 (2022-06-28)
Eliza is accused of breaking into the city morgue and stealing files when her mother's ring is found there, but the subsequent investigation reveals ties to a series of past thefts.
10	4	"Angel of Inferno"	Ivan Zivkovic	Rachael New	5 July 2022 (2022-07-05)
Eliza is hired by a quack doctor to investigate a blackmail case. Meanwhile, rival private detective Patrick Nash tries to force her to join his agency.
11	5	"Quarter to Midnight"	Ivan Zivkovic	Ben Edwards	12 July 2022 (2022-07-12)
Duke is offered a promotion to chief inspector that would require him to transfer to Glasgow, while Eliza discovers two murders were inspired by a crime novel.
12	6	"The Proposal"	Ivan Zivkovic	Ben Edwards and Rachael New	19 July 2022 (2022-07-19)
After Nash is injured in a murder attempt, he hires Eliza to find the man responsible. Forced to accept the position in Glasgow, Duke struggles to train Oliver Fitzroy, the police commissioner's son, as his replacement.

Series 3 (2023)

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
13	1	"The Vanishing"	Steve Hughes	Rachael New (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	8 January 2023 (2023-01-08)
Eliza is hired to investigate the disappearance of a magician, unaware that William is also on the case. William tries to quash the leaking of case information to the press.
14	2	"Arabella"	Steve Hughes	Sarah-Louise Hawkins	15 January 2023 (2023-01-15)
William and Eliza investigate a series of thefts at a local restaurant. Eliza encounters her childhood enemy Arabella and comes to suspect that she is involved in the crimes.
15	3	"Hotel St Marc"	Rachael New	Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	22 January 2023 (2023-01-22)
Eliza tracks down a conman, believing she has finally caught Scotland Yard's most wanted man -- but she is not the only one who hopes to claim the reward.
16	4	"Bloodline"	Ivan Zivkovic	Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	29 January 2023 (2023-01-29)
Detective Fitzroy hires Eliza to look into a case of police corruption after he sees a colleague plant evidence on a suspect.
17	5	"The Heir"	Steve Hughes	Dan Muirden	5 February 2023 (2023-02-05)
Eliza is on the verge of earning life-changing money when she offers to help the heir to an unclaimed fortune.
18	6	"The Jewel of the North"	Steve Hughes	Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	12 February 2023 (2023-02-12)
Eliza, Nash, Moses, and Wellington are all sent bombs in the post. A robbery has been committed on The Jewel of the North, a train running between London and Liverpool. Everyone must figure out who sent the bombs to them and how the bombs are connected to the train robbery.

Series 4 (2024)

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
19	1	"Elysium"	Nimer Rashed	Rachael New (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	7 January 2024 (2024-01-07)
Eliza has taken over the London office of Nash's agency. However, all but one of the employees have left in protest. She helps Duke investigate a robbery at an "elite gentlemen's club" (a brothel).
20	2	"Six Feet Under"	Nimer Rashed	Sarah-Louise Hawkins	14 January 2024 (2024-01-14)
One of Mr Potts's friends is murdered and he turns to Miss Scarlet because the police force is overwhelmed. At the end of the episode, Duke is forced to raid a gang's house despite being short on men and is shot in the chest.
21	3	"Origins"	Rachael New	Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	21 January 2024 (2024-01-21)
Duke is in a coma following the shooting. He has a flashback to when the two first met and solved a murder he had witnessed. At the end of the episode, Duke wakes.
22	4	"The Diamond Feather"	Nimer Rashed	Rachael New (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	28 January 2024 (2024-01-28)
Nash returns to London and criticizes Miss Scarlet's handling of his agency. A diamond feather that belonged to Admiral Nelson has been stolen and the two are hired to find it. At the end of the episode, Duke confesses his love of Miss Scarlet to her and announces he will leave to join a New York City police program for a year.
23	5	"The Calling"	Rachael New	Dan Muirden	4 February 2024 (2024-02-04)
Eliza and Nash are still struggling to work together and cannot agree on a staff. They are hired to discover the cause of a gas explosion that killed three at a telephone company. After they solve the murder, Nash allows Eliza to choose whom to hire.
24	6	"The Fugitive"	Milos Kodemo	Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards)	11 February 2024 (2024-02-11)
Nash is accused of murder and goes into hiding. Eliza discovers the victim witnessed the murder of Nash's brother years ago and was killed by the murderer. At the end of the episode, Nash shoots and injures the murderer in self-defence and is jailed facing charges for abduction of the murderer and evading arrest. Phelps is promoted to head the division and take over Duke's role while he is in New York.

Production

The first series was filmed in Dublin, Ireland, with exteriors of Eliza's home shot on Mount Pleasant Square, Ranelagh. The distinctive green dome of Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners Church, Rathmines is visible in some street scenes. The police station where the Duke works is in fact the CBS Westland Row in Cumberland Street.

As of series 2, production moved to Belgrade, Serbia, where it remains as of series 4.

Broadcast

The first series began broadcasting on Alibi in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2020, and premiered in the United States on 17 January 2021, as part of PBS's Masterpiece anthology series.

A second series was announced by PBS on 29 March 2021. It first aired on Alibi in the UK on 14 June 2022, and later on PBS in the US on 16 October 2022.

Miss Scarlet and The Duke was later renewed for series three and four. Series three premiered on PBS on 8 January 2023 with weekly installments, though all episodes were made available via the membership video-on-demand service PBS Passport on 24 November 2022. Episodes were also released weekly on Amazon Prime Video's PBS Masterpiece subscription channel beginning 24 November 2022. Series four premiered on PBS on 7 January 2024 with weekly installments, and all episodes made available that day via PBS Passport.

The renewal announcement for series five also mentioned that actor Stuart Martin would be leaving the series, and his character William "The Duke" Wellington would be written off the show. As a result the show would be renamed Miss Scarlet starting with the fifth series. Stuart Martin had made the decision himself to leave the show as he felt Miss Scarlet was being held back by The Duke's presence in her life, and the show had taken The Duke's character as far as he could go within the series and that Scarlet's character could "explore new stories and challenges for now." The creators said they chose not to kill Martin's character off because "we just thought it would be too final, too cruel for Eliza, for the audience, and quite frankly, would limit our options for the show going forward, I think. But at this point in their lives, I think Duke and Eliza aren’t ready to be together."

External links

• Miss Scarlet and The Duke at IMDb
• Miss Scarlet and The Duke at epguides.com
• Miss Scarlet and the Duke - Masterpiece official site