It looks like there are plenty of twists and turns on the way in BritBox’s upcoming "murder mystery within a murder mystery" series, Magpie Murders.

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Based on Anthony Horowitz's novel of the same name, the crime drama stars Lesley Manville as Susan Ryeland, the literary editor of best-selling mystery writer Alan Conway (Conleth Hill).

However, when the author hands over his last manuscript, the final chapter is nowhere to be found. The plot thickens when Conway is murdered, and Susan sets out on a quest to find the chapter – and figure out whodunnit.

And a new clip from the first episode certainly sets the tone, with DS Locke (Daniel Mays) acting suspiciously cagey about Conway’s death.

In the short teaser released by BritBox UK ahead of the meta-mystery series' launch, we see Manville and Mays’ characters coming face-to-face for the first time.

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“I’m trying to track down some missing pages from his last book because without them I can’t publish, and if that happens my entire company, the staff I employ and 15 years of hard work will go down the drain,” she explains when Locke questions why she is visiting late Conway’s secretary.

“In three of the books, he based a character on you,” she then says in a light-bulb moment. “The dim detective. That’s why you’re so angry.”

BritBox UK previously released its first trailer for Magpie Murders, giving fans a glimpse at Susan’s mission to figure out who murdered Conway.

"It's his last novel, and everyone he knew was in it – that's why the last chapter was taken," she reveals in the trailer.

Alongside Manville and Mays, Tim McMullan (Foyles War) appears as Conway's hugely popular detective, Atticus Pünd, while Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard, Bridgerton) and Michael Maloney (The Crown, The Trial of Christine Keeler) also make appearances.

The series is set to premiere exclusively on BritBox in February 2022, and will consist of six episodes.

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Magpie Murders will premiere on BritBox on Thursday 10th February 2022. Looking for something else to watch in the meantime? Check out our Drama coverage or plan your viewing with our TV Guide.

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