Latest news with #PuzzleLadyMysteries
Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Downton Abbey actress joins real life husband on-screen in Channel 5 crime drama
Downton Abbey actress Phyllis Logan was reunited with her husband Kevin McNally on-screen in the latest instalment of a Channel 5 crime drama Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan has been reunited on our screens with her real-life spouse, Kevin McNally, in Channel 5's gripping crime series, Murder Most Puzzling. The show, an adaptation of the much-lauded Puzzle Lady Mysteries from the mind of author Parnell Hall, follows sleuth Cora Felton whose exceptional crossword-solving talents see her become a surprising asset to the police department in a sleepy town. McNally, known for his roles in epic franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean and acclaimed series including The Crown and Unforgotten, portrays Gilbert – a potential romantic fixture in Cora's life. According to the episode narrative, "Cora is distracted by love, as she's wooed by a charming suitor, Gilbert. When Sherry says he seems too good to be true, it causes a rift between the women but plants a seed of doubt in Cora's mind." Phyllis first encountered Kevin on the set of Love and Reason, back in 1993. It wasn't until well into their workforce years that they tied the knot in 2011, after becoming parents to their son David in 1996, reports Surrey Live. In a heart-to-heart with Mail Online in 2017, Phyllis divulged details about their unexpected romance: "I never thought real love. "The sort where your blood tingles and your world explodes with joy – would happen to me at my time of life," she shared. "I believed I had missed out. But I'm ever so glad it happened.'" Phyllis and Kevin, who recently played Jane Austen's parents in the BBC period drama Miss Austen, reunite as on-screen lovers in the new series Murder Most Puzzling. Set against the backdrop of the idyllic market town of Bakerbury, the show introduces us to Cora Felton, a crossword aficionado who lends her puzzle-solving prowess to the local police force when a murder mystery unfolds. The official synopsis for the series reveals: "After the body of a teenage girl is found in the local cemetery with an enigmatic clue in her pocket, Bakerbury Detective DCI Hooper seeks help from the town's newest, and most famous, resident – Cora Felton, AKA The Puzzle Lady." Cora's unconventional 'shoot first, ask questions never' method becomes an asset as she navigates through a web of murderers, swindlers, and dodgy officials. Despite harbouring a secret that could destroy her and those close to her, Cora's uncanny knack for unravelling murder mysteries stands out. "And, as it turns out, Bakerbury isn't as sleepy as it looks."
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What is Murder Most Puzzling? Channel 5 launches Ludwig-style murder mystery show
There are few entirely new concepts in TV, so it's unsurprising that every so often a debut series feels like a déjà vu moment for viewers. Murder Most Puzzling might well spark that sense of familiarity in anyone settling down to watch Channel 5 on Thursday, 19 June as the murder mystery starring Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan follows a similar premise to Ludwig, a hit for the BBC in 2024. Both comedy-dramas feature an oddball cryptic puzzle writer who joins forces with the police to solve some head-scratching cases. Whether Logan's show can replicate the huge success of the David Mitchell starrer remains to be seen, but if you like quirky sleuths and mind-boggling clues, this could be the series for you. Here's all you need to know about Murder Most Puzzling as it begins on Channel 5. A cryptic crossword enthusiast at odds with social norms joins forces with the police to help solve a series of puzzling murders - no, it's not the second season of BBC's Ludwig, this is Channel 5 offering Murder Most Puzzling. This time, the cruciverbalist in question is Cora Felton, played by Phyllis Logan. She's a Bloody Mary-swilling, chain-smoking brain box who turns out to be a match for local detectives when she tries her hand at sleuthing. Ludwig fans might spot plenty of similarities in this three-part series, but it's actually based on the crime-thriller Puzzle Lady Mysteries novels by Parnell Hall which were published between 1999 and 2019. Hall is a US author, but the TV adaptation couldn't be more British, set in the village of Bakerbury where like Midsomer Murders, there is an unusually high ratio of suspicious deaths in the small community. Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan is the series star as Cora and she told This Morning on Thursday, 19 June what a fun time she'd had making the series. "It's so punchy and different," she said. "I know it's about murder, but if you can have a comedy side to murder then this is it. She likes a Bloody Mary before just great fun to play a character like that." Logan added: "Everybody can't get enough of (crime drama), and people can't get enough of making it either. But this has got a really lovely twist to it because it's not your straightforward, grisly old crime." Her co-stars include Charlotte Hope as Sherry Carter, Adam Best as DCI Hooper, and Nick Danan and Jack Weise as his police colleagues DS Sam Brody and PC Danny Finley. Logan also welcomed her husband Kevin McNally onto set for the second time in a year as they co-starred again after playing husband and wife in BBC's Miss Austen. She told This Morning: "We started the year last year working together playing Mr and Mrs Austen, and then we finished the year playing a kind of romantically-linked couple in Murder Most Puzzling. It's like bring your husband to work day!" Murder Most Puzzling begins on Channel 5 at 8pm on Thursday, 19 June.
