'Bookish' Officially Confirmed to Debut on PBS
Polly Walker, Elliot Levey, Buket Komur, Mark Gatiss, and Connor Finch in "Bookish"
Alibi
The end of February brings the yearly event MIP TV, where many series gather to convince international buyers to pick up the rights to air them. Until 2024, the event was France-based, held in Cannes, as a sort of pre-show to the Cannes Film Festival a few weeks later. However, the event has decided to move house from the warm sands of southern France to London, rechristening itself as "London TV" or "MIP London." With the event still a few days away, Beta Films has announced it will be bringing the Eagle Eye Drama mystery series Bookish, created by and starring Mark Gatiss (Moonflower Murders), to the festival with PBS on board for U.S. distribution.
We here at Telly Visions have been stumping for PBS to pick up Bookish since the series was first revealed to be going into production; the series is so PBS-coded that anywhere else would be a crime against television. The mystery-of-the-week series features Gatiss as Gabriel Book, an antiquarian bookseller who uses his tomes to solve murders. He's joined by Bridgerton's Polly Walker, who plays Book's wife, Trottie, the charming owner of the wallpaper shop next door.
(Is there anything more PBS than a show where an antiquarian bookshop owner also solves crimes? I think not.)
The six-episode Bookish will consist of three two-parter stories, deliberately made so the series can air as three feature-length installments or six one-hour episodes, depending on the network.
Polly Walker in "Bookish"
(Photo: Alibi)
Here's the show's synopsis:
London, 1946, is the dynamic, dangerous, and chaotic setting for this stylish new detective drama. The eccentric Gabriel Book is at the very heart of the story: a self-appointed consultant detective to the local police. The thousands of books lining his shop's shelves provide him with all the knowledge he needs. Book has gathered around him a host of lovable, damaged misfits whom he informally protects, cajoles, and mentors. His wife, Trottie, runs the wallpaper shop next door. She's a charismatic adventuress whom Book loves deeply but not physically, for they are in a ‘lavender’ marriage to help conceal Book’s sexual orientation in a time when it was illegal to be gay.
Paul McGann in "Bookish"
(Photo: Alibi)
Gatiss and Walker are joined by an ensemble including Connor Finch (Everything I Know About Love), Elliot Levey (We Were the Lucky Ones), Buket Kömür (Our House). Season 1 will also feature Paul McGann (Annika), Elizabeth Berrington (Good Omens), Mark Umbers (Hotel Portofino), Joely Richardson (Renegade Nell), Daniel Mays (The Long Shadow), Rosie Cavaliero (Funny Woman), Blake Harrison (World on Fire), Amanda Drew (The Gold), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Bodies), Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife), Tom Forbes (Champion), Angeliki Papoulia (The Tunnel), Luke Norris (Poldark), Tim McInnerny (The Serpent), Michael Workéyè (This Is Going to Hurt) and Jonas Nay (Line of Separation).
Gatiss co-wrote Bookish with Doctor Who podcast scribe Matthew Sweet. Director Carolina Giammetta (Suspect) helms all episodes, and Christopher Arcache produces. The show is an Eagle Eye production from Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino.
Bookish will air on PBS as part of the 2025-2026 television season.
