Murder Before Evensong is written by Midsomer Murders alum Nick Hicks-Beach. The new mystery series starring Matthew Lewis shares many of the same principles, with a Grantchester twist. It all results in a cozy mystery featuring many familiar faces from British television.
Murder Before Evensong is another film adaptation of a book, based on the Canon Clement series written by Reverend Richard Coles. The unlikely detective is Canon Daniel Clement, played by Harry Potter alum Lewis. Clement would simply like to lead a quiet life, free from the minimal headaches caused by the peculiar and often quarrelsome members of his community (in an early scene, they debate whether the church needs a bathroom). But when he finds the body of a parishioner, that idea is shattered.
Stars: Matthew Lewis, Tamzin Outhwaite, Alexander Delamain
Audiences will recognize Lewis from his portrayal of Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter film series, but it's worth noting that he appeared in two seasons of Ripper Street and one of Happy Valley, so he's not entirely new to the mystery genre. His portrayal of Clement has the same calm, always politely frustrated tone as Neil Dudgeon's John Barnaby in Midsomer Murders. And, like Barnaby, Clement has an adorable dog (two, actually). He's someone audiences can root for not just as a crime-solver, but also as a person. The best part of the series is Clement's banter with his mother, Sandra, who, unsurprisingly, is much more outspoken than her son.
This is because Audrey is played with sass by British television icon Amanda Redman, whom audiences especially know and love for her role as Sandra Pullman in the long-running procedural series New Tricks. There's a connection to New Tricks in Murder Before Evensong, as Redman's successor, Tamzin Outhwaite, also plays Stella, another member of Clement's congregation. Happy Valley is also represented by Lewis and Amit Shah, who plays Detective DS Neil Vanloo.
Like many of its similar Acorn TV series, the central mystery of Murder Before Evensong is practically the least interesting part of the story it tells. It's worth noting that the series skillfully introduces multiple suspects and false leads throughout its six episodes (all available for review). Still, the series is, above all, a character drama, focusing as much on the lives of Champton's residents as on the details of the crime. And while the killer's identity is revealed at the end, the investigation is primarily focused on exploring broader issues of history, prejudice, family, and community within the village's world, which, despite being set in the period, will still resonate with viewers today.
This may be obvious from the show's title, but Murder Before Evensong is also a show about faith. Perhaps not in the way many expect, given that its protagonist is a reverend. Yes, Daniel's role in the church is often a key element of the main murder plot: he knows all the suspects, and his status as a churchman means people are already accustomed to revealing their darkest secrets to him.
But it's also a story about what people of faith are truly asked to do in the world, how we are all challenged to reflect God's love by reaching out to the hurting, the lonely, and the lost. In a genre that often struggles to make its protagonists seem three-dimensional, Daniel's deliberate kindness and compassion are refreshing, and the show goes to great lengths to illustrate that his vocation is precisely that: a calling he must choose to answer again and again.
Lewis is a warm and engaging protagonist, full of an everyman energy that makes it easy to understand why so many in the town listen to him. His chemistry with Amanda Redman, who plays Daniel's mother, Audrey, is exceptional. Typically, in series like this, it's the back-and-forth between the detective and the civilian trying to solve a crime that gives the story much of its tension and emotional weight. Here, while Detective Neil Vanloo, played by Amit Shah, plays a key role—in fact, he's refreshingly frank in saying that the good reverend knows nothing about solving a crime—it's the relationship between Daniel and his mother that undoubtedly forms the core of the series.
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