Critics have rendered their judgement on Bookish, a new “cosy crime” series created by and starring Sherlock’s Mark Gatiss.
The series, airing this week on U&Alibi, sees Gatiss play Gabriel Book, an eccentric bookshop owner who solves crimes on the streets of 1946 London.
Bookish also stars Polly Walker, Joely Richardson, and Daniel Mays, and the series has already been renewed for a second season.
Reviews have been widely positive, with The Times’s Carol Midgley writing in a four-star review: “Bookish appears to be a simple, quintessentially English drama with beats of Agatha Christie (strychnine and prussic acid feature) but it is deceptively multifaceted and modern. Gatiss’s special power is in taking something we thought was established (eg Sherlock and Dracula) and giving it new wings. This is no exception.”
Benji Wilson in The Telegraph writes: “Bookish is first and foremost a clever, witty, well-plotted sleuther. From an opening two-parter about a poisoned butcher (Danny Mays, having a blast) to a finale about murder at the esteemed Walsingham Hotel, Bookish is a series of puzzles that are presented and then solved with a satisfying completeness.
“Gatiss plays fair by his viewer, asking them the same questions based on the same evidence that he asks of his detective. This, of course, is the Agatha Christie formula, but it is much easier to get wrong than right.”
In a four-star review in the i, Gerard Gilbert writes: “Suffice to say, Gatiss is an old hand at this whodunit stuff; all those years adapting Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie haven’t gone to waste.
“Sherlock fans may have been disappointed by Gatiss’s recent statement that he had no interest in revisiting the much-loved BBC series, but here at least is the next best thing.”
James Hibbs in Radio Times also awarded the series four stars, arguing: “At a time when TV is absolutely flooded with detective dramas, almost to the point of bursting, it's impressive how much Bookish manages to stand out, and how much it feels like a breath of fresh air.”
Bookish is available to watch now on U&Alibi.
