Bookish star Mark Gatiss adapts and stars in classic cosy crime tale – and it airs on Monday
Gatiss's audio drama adaptation of Murder Every Monday first aired in 2008.
As fans of Mark Gatiss's period crime drama Bookish wait for it to return for season 2 later this year, another crime story from Gatiss is set to air on Monday (12th January 2026).
This time, it's an audio adaptation of Pamela Branch's novel Murder Every Monday, which Gatiss dramatised and starred in for BBC Radio 4 back in 2008.
The hour-long drama is set to air again on Radio 4Xtra, with broadcasts of it at 3pm and again at 9pm on Monday 12th January, and another at 5am on Tuesday 13th January.
The synopsis for the audio drama says: "Asterisk Club founder Clifford Flush hasn't murdered anyone for years. But when the urge comes upon him to bump off his bridge partner (the man's bidding was really quite unforgivable), he and the rest of the club are forced to leave London in bit of a hurry.
"Once out of harm's way, in the rural hamlet of Krunte Abbas, they acquire the dilapidated Dankry Manor and set themselves up as homicide consultants."
The dramatisation of Pamela Branch's novel, which was first published in 1954, stars Simon Williams, John Castle, Barbara Kirby, Graham Crowden, David Ryall, Stephanie Beacham, Mark Benton, Ian Hallard and Cal Jaggers, as well as Gatiss himself in a supporting role.
Gatiss has plenty of history when it comes to both crime dramas and adaptations, as he is not only behind hit original series Bookish, in which he also stars as bookshop owner and amateur detective Gabriel Book, but also acclaimed modern Arthur Conan Doyle adaptation Sherlock.
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Gatiss has also adapted a host of classic Ghost Stories for his annual BBC Two programme A Ghost Story for Christmas, most recently A Room in the Tower, which starred Tobias Menzies and Joanna Lumley.
Murder Every Monday by Pamela Branch will air on Radio 4Xtra at 3pm and 9pm on Monday 12th January, and again at 5am on Tuesday 13th January 2026.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
