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Downton Abbey star to lead Channel 5 drama adaptation The Puzzle Lady
Could this be your next favourite "cosy crime" show?
Jeff Spicer/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA
- David Craig
Published: Monday, 7 October 2024 at 11:10 am
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Phyllis Logan will star in a new Channel 5 "cosy crime" drama titled The Puzzle Lady, the broadcaster has announced today.
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The actor is best known for her celebrated roles as Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey and Maggie Lynch in the BBC's darkly comic thriller Guilt, for which she recently won a BAFTA Scotland award.
Now, Logan will lead the cast of an adaptation of popular crime novels The Puzzle Lady Mysteries by late author Parnell Hall, which spawned 20 entries released between 1999 and 2019.
The synopsis for the first season has been released, confirming that the story will begin with "a strange murder" that shakes the "sleepy market town of Bakerbury".
It continues: "The local police are baffled by a crossword puzzle left on the body. With their case going nowhere, they turn reluctantly to Cora Felton [Logan], a recent arrival in Bakerbury."
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Felton has a certain level of "fame" as the so-called "Puzzle Lady" of the title, which gives hope to the detectives on the case that she might be able to crack the first ever murder to take place in their quiet hometown.
The synopsis teases: "But the eccentric Cora isn’t who she claims to be, and as she throws herself into a murder case that has the town’s residents baffled, she starts to gather allies and enemies in equal measure."
Paul Testar, commissioning editor of drama at Channel 5 and Paramount Plus, commented: "We’re very pleased to bring The Puzzle Lady to Channel 5, a compelling, cosy crime drama that will keep viewers guessing and entertained equally.
"Phyllis Logan will be excellent as Cora Felton, our Puzzle Lady."
Emily Dalton, managing director at production company Factual Fiction, added: "With Cora Felton, [screenwriter] Dominique Moloney has written a character that leaps off the page, and we are so happy that the wonderful Phyllis Logan will bring The Puzzle Lady to life."
The Puzzle Lady is currently filming in Northern Ireland, and is set to premiere on Channel 5 next year. We'll bring you more updates as they come in.
The Puzzle Lady is coming soon to Channel 5.
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Authors
David CraigSenior Drama Writer
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
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