Lynley: BBC announces new detective series based on hit Elizabeth George novels that could rival Sherlock

Lynley will bring the eponymous DI Lynley to screen for the first time since 2008, with the BBC’s previous adaptation The Inspector Lynley Mysteries drew to a close. The new four-part series will hope to emulate the success of previous detective hits for the BBC including the massively popular Sherlock, which series writer Steve Thompson previously worked on.

Leo Suter, who appeared in Vikings: Valhalla, will star as the upper-class DI Tommy Lynley, while Ted Lasso star Sofia Barclay will join as his right-hand woman DS Barbara Havers. Other stars joining the cast will include Line of Duty star Daniel Mays, Jamestown actress Niamh Walsh, Vera star Joshua Sher and Michael Workeye, who appeared in the hit BBC drama This Is Going To Hurt.

The plot synopsis for the series, which is currently in production in Ireland, reads: “Tommy Lynley is a brilliant police detective but an outsider in the force – simply by virtue of his aristocratic upbringing. He is paired with Barbara Havers, a sergeant with a maverick attitude and a working-class background. With seemingly nothing in common and against all odds, the mismatched duo of Lynley and Havers become a formidable team, bonded by their desire to see justice done.”

The show is based of the Lynley book series, written by Elizabeth George. The author, who published the latest installment in the series in 2022, said: “I'm thrilled to see Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers come to television again, especially through the participation of the BBC and Britbox and the production expertise of Playground. Watching my characters brought to life on television is a real celebration.”

Writer and Executive Producer Steve Thompson added: “It's a privilege and a thrill to have the opportunity to adapt these wonderful books for television. Elizabeth George's iconic characters are greatly loved and her gripping stories are smart and ingenious.”

A release date has not yet been confirmed the the new series.