'Bookish' Season 2 First Images Introduce New Guest Stars
For those who are in 'Bookish' withdrawal, we've got the first images from Season 2 to tide you over until its return to PBS.
Right out of the gate, Bookish has been one of UKTV’s most successful series ever in the history of the network, averaging 1.5 million viewers per episode and the recently rechristened U&alibi’s second-highest-performing premiere ever. While the series didn’t quite hit those viewer benchmarks in the U.S. when it arrived in January, critics swooned over it, handing it a 100% Certified Fresh over at Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.
A LGBTQ+ history series wrapped in a selection of well-designed two-part mysteries, Bookish is the public television companion to HBO’s Heated Rivalry, and ought to be treated as such. Set in London in 1946, the series is written by and stars Mark Gatiss, best known for penning Doctor Who and the BBC’s annual A Ghost Story for Christmas miniseries. The series revolves around Gabriel Book, a gay bookshop proprietor in Archangel Lane, whose best friend/wife/beard, Trottie, owns the wallpaper shop next door. Having spent WWII working for the U.K. government in espionage and secrets, Book’s peacetime is just as full of adventure, as he uses his skills to help the police solve the strangest of crimes and the knottiest of murders.
Season 1 introduced Jack, a former inmate seeking a fresh start after his release from prison, who is hired on at Book’s Shop. Over the course of the first season, Jack learns that Book had been deeply in love with his late father, Felix, before the war, and finds himself enfolded into this unlikely little family.
The main cast of Bookish: Mark Gatiss, Simon Callow, Polly Walker, Connor Finch, Buket Kömür, and Blake Harrison (UKTV)
Here’s the Season 2 synopsis:
In the second series, Book investigates the world of spiritualism when he’s asked to help solve the mysterious case involving medium, Harold Sneed. Off Savile Row, Bliss asks Book to help in a puzzling murder at a gentleman’s outfitters - the elderly tailor Maxie Kleinmann is keen to confess to the murder, but the evidence doesn’t quite stack up and points to something much more complex and sinister. And Book and Jack are sent to the seemingly charming German village of Würl by the mysterious ‘E’ to thwart a thieving Duchessat Christmas time. However, festivities take a deadly turn when Book and Jack uncover secrets of their own, past and present, in an ominous castle brimming with plausible murder suspects.
Book’s close association with the police continues to be not without its personal dangers, and his lavender marriage with childhood best friend, Trottie, is threatened by debonair Colonel Winters. Marrying post-war nostalgia with the reckless and life-affirming atmosphere of the times, Bookish is a stylish period detective drama with a difference.
Bookish stars Gatiss (Sherlock) as Gabriel Book, Polly Walker (Bridgerton) as his wife, Trottie, Elliot Levey (We Were the Lucky Ones) as Inspector Bliss, Buket Kömür (Our House) as Nora, Blake Harrison (World on Fire) as Sgt Morris, Connor Finch (Everything I Know About Love) as Jack, and Simon Callow (Outlander) as ‘E.’
Season 1 guest stars that will become recurring characters this season include Rosie Cavaliero (Funny Woman) as Ada Dredge, Gerard Horan (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) as Mr. Baseheart, Nadia Albina (A Thousand Blows) as Dr. Calder, and Jonas Nay (Line of Separation) as Felix.
Claire Skinner, Jason Watkins, Ruth Codd, Allan Corduner, Miranda Richardson, and Youssef Kerkour in 'Bookish' Season 2 (UKTV)
The Season 2 guest cast introduced in the first images include Claire Skinner (Vanity Fair) as Mrs. Calthrop, Jason Watkins (McDonald & Dodds) as Harold Sneed, Ruth Codd (Irish Blood) as India Flynn, Allan Corduner (Ridley Road) as Maxie Kleinmann, Miranda Richardson (The Last Anniversary) as Duchess Alberta, and Youssef Kerkour (Stay Close) as Yusuf.
Other Season 2 additions include PBS favorites Rupert Graves (Surface) as Colonel Reggie Winters, Liza Sadovy (Patience) as Ruth Kleinmann, and Oli Fyne (Call the Midwife) as Hannah Kleinman. Also joining the series: Ricky Champ (The Decameron), Ingrid Oliver (The Thursday Murder Club), and John Hopkins (A Very Royal Scandal).
Gatiss co-wrote Bookish with Doctor Who podcast scribe Sweet and Ian Hallard as three two-part mysteries comprising six episodes in total, and the three are expected to return to write Season 2. Director Carolina Giammetta (Suspect) helmed all episodes of Season 1 and is expected to return to helm at least some of Season 2, with Jake Harvey producing. The show is an Eagle Eye production from Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino.
Bookish Season 2 is expected to debut in the U.K. sometime in the first half of 2026, and then arrive on PBS in late 2026 or early 2027. All episodes of Bookish Season 1 are available to stream for members on PBS Passport. Matthew Sweet’s novel version of Bookish is available on all e-reader platforms and in hardcover.
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