The Marlow Murder Club star Samantha Bond lifts the curtain on a second season of sleuthing
When retired archaeologist Judith Potts (Samantha Bond) witnessed her neighbour’s murder, and the local constabulary in her quaint English village wrote her off as a crackpot, she enlisted two other locals — dog-walker Suzie Harris (Jo Martin) and Vicar’s wife Becks Starling (Cara Horgan) — to help her solve the crime themselves.
So began the first season of The Marlow Murder Club, which found the trio’s unexpected skill at sleuthing utilized by DCI Tanika Malik (Natalie Dew ) to help solve a series of murders that rocked their bucolic little town.
As the second season begins, things are just starting to return to normal in Marlow, which is beginning to settle down after last season’s string of horrible homicides. It doesn’t take long, however, for the three to be called back into action when a fresh batch of crimes befall the town, once again leaving police baffled.
“From a seemingly impossible murder inside the locked study of a sweeping mansion to the mysterious case of a man with no connection to the town murdered in the middle of a sleepy cul-de-sac, and an unexpectedly brutal accident at the prestigious Marlow sailing club that quickly reveals itself to be something more sinister, there’s no rest for our sleuthing trio,” declares the second season’s synopsis. “Navigating the delicate balance of Marlow society — from local aristocracy to the workers at the local boatyard, the pubs and cafes of the high street to a newly established archaeological dig — Judith, Becks and Suzie dig into all corners of Marlow life as they assist DCI Tanika Malik in her official investigations.”
As Bond explains, the first season served as a springboard to the new one, which finds the women stretching out and settling into their new roles as amateur detectives.
“Well, season one is one story, and season two is three stories,” Bond says. “You’ve got a posh murder that happens at Sir Peter Bailey’s house, which is an incredible journey of how the women, primarily Judith, solve that. And then there’s a mystery set in a more modest bit of Marlow where one murder happens right at the beginning and then another body is discovered, and might there — or might not there — be a link? And the third one is at the sailing club. The wonderful thing about The Marlow Murder Club is that the whole thing is on location in Marlow. So when you go to the rowing club, it’s in Marlow; when you go to the sailing club, it’s in Marlow.”
As Bond points out, Marlow isn’t a fictional setting, but a real-life town in Buckinghamshire, situated alongside the Thames, about 50 kilometres or so west of London. Luckily for producers, the local residents love the show, and have gone out of their way to cooperate with filming taking place in their town.
“In an episode all about someone trying to redevelop an estate that was built back in the 1960s, we filmed in the estate and all the residents agreed to have their windows blacked out,” Bond recalled. “The people of Marlow are extraordinary. It could have gone two ways — they could have got really fed up with us for taking over the town, running around their streets and closing their cafes, and they haven’t. They’ve been really supportive. They walk past you in the street and thank you. They’ve enjoyed season one very much and they’re looking forward to season two. So really, I suppose what I’m trying to say is that the big star of the series is the town itself.”
Meanwhile, there’s even more good news for fans; a third season has already been greenlit. “Following the huge success of the first two series, we’re thrilled to return with another instalment where Judith, Suzie, Becks and our police team are faced with three puzzling new mysteries to solve,” adds Claire Hookway of UKTV, which produces the series. “We’re excited to treat the audience to more joyous fun in the beautiful town of Marlow, with many surprises and clever twists in store.”
The second season of The Marlow Murder Club on Masterpiece airs on Sunday, August 24 on PBS