Murder Before Evensong review: Grantchester meets Agatha Christie in this cosy crime drama

Based on Reverend Richard Coles's bestselling novel, Murder Before Evensong has all the trappings of a classic murder mystery. A charming English village full of busybodies, where long-running rivalries, secrets and betrayals lurk beneath the surface? Check. An unlikely hero on the trail of a methodical killer? Check.

Sure to resonate with fans of ITV's Grantchester, as well as Agatha Christie stans, Murder Before Evensong is set in the fictional village of Champton during the 1980s. Introducing viewers to Canon Daniel Clement, Matthew Lewis steps into the lead role with expert precision, imbuing the character with an innate softness and sincerity that has you rooting for him.

Tasked with keeping the peace, Daniel is pushed and pulled between the wants and needs of his fierce and overbearing mother Audrey (Amanda Redman), not to mention the clergy and the many demanding members of his local Parish. So, when he and his adorable dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda, discover the body of a man stabbed to death in the church, Daniel's life is thrown into chaos.

With too many loose threads to count, Murder Before Evensong succeeds as a gripping whodunit, with every one of Champton's residents treated as a potential suspect. Was it the jealous journalist at the local newspaper? Or the mysterious groundskeeper with a criminal past? The possibilities feel like a never-ending Cluedo board.

Getting off to an intriguing but somewhat slow start, the first two episodes delve into the power dynamics and rivalries at play in Champton. Stirring up trouble, Tamzin Outhwaite's portrayal of meddlesome shop owner Stella Harper is a particular highlight, while Adam James is just the right amount of pretentious as stately home owner Bernard de Floures. While the show took a while to get cooking, I'd advise viewers to stick with it – by episode 3, I was totally hooked.

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Make no mistake, the entire cast is phenomenal, but many of the show's standout scenes come courtesy of Daniel and his mother, Audrey.

Struggling to let her son make decisions for himself, Audrey can't help but interfere with Daniel's choices, whether it's his resolution to stray from the clergy by publicly supporting those affected by the AIDS crisis, or his laid-back approach to finding out who's been sending him threatening letters. With their comedic timing and palpable on-screen chemistry, Matthew Lewis and the inimitable Amanda Redman are well-matched sparring partners.

While the cosy crime genre typically adopts a more lighthearted tone, make no mistake, Murder Before Evensong isn't afraid to take itself seriously, confronting some of the biggest social and political issues of the 1980s.

Delving into Daniel's struggles to remain kind and compassionate in a time when the world seems devoid of it, the Canon struggles with his own morality throughout the series, wondering if he should offer mercy to a cold-blooded killer. It's this willingness to have difficult conversations that gives the show edge, making it more than a formulaic murder mystery.

Rest assured, you won't find any spoilers about the killer, but after more bodies begin to pile up in Murder Before Evensong, the final episode offers a worthy and twist-filled conclusion that I didn't see coming.

While DS Neil Vanloo (Amit Shah) proves pretty useless in his investigation, Daniel's ability to get people to open up comes in handy, cementing the start of a beautiful friendship which could easily lead to a Grantchester-style partnership.

With colourful characters, moments of levity and a central mystery that kept me guessing, I hope that Canon Daniel Clement finds success as one of TV's best-loved detectives, and thanks to Reverend Richard Coles, there are three more sequels just waiting to be adapted. Your move, 5…

Murder Before Evensong premieres on 5 at 9pm on Tuesday 7th October.

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