Bertie Carvel to Return to ‘Dalgliesh’ for Season 4
It’s been nearly two years since ‘Dalgliesh’ Season 3 concluded, but Acorn TV has finally announced Season 4.
It’s been nearly two years since Dalgliesh Season 3 concluded, but, after star Bertie Carvel (The Crown) stepped away to make some questionable career choices, he’s back to the crime-solving grind, with Acorn TV finally announcing Season 4 is going ahead.
The long pause between Season 3’s debut and the Season 4 announcement has brought some changes behind the scenes. The biggest, and almost certainly the real reason behind the delay, is that the U.K.’s 5 network is no longer the series’ co-producer. This is far from the first time Acorn TV has shouldered the entire load of producing a series when the overseas producer decided it wasn’t interested in continuing. From Agatha Raisin to My Life Is Murder, Acorn TV has a decade of experience taking on shows that have become bigger hits in the U.S. than in their home countries.
But that’s not the only major behind-the-scenes story. Longtime fans of PD James’ best-selling murder mystery novels will know that the new Dalgliesh reboot has thus far covered nine of the 14 Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries stories. However, despite there being enough material to adapt a full season’s worth of episodes (three of the remaining five were already previously adapted by ITV & the BBC), only two will be adapted this round: 1973’s A Mind to Murder and 1994’s Original Sin. The third is a newly conceived story by the series’s lead writer, Helen Edmundson (The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher), with the blessing of James’ Estate.
Here’s the Season 4 synopsis:
Set in 1982, the six-hour, three-part series will bring further labyrinthine cases for Commander Adam Dalgliesh to untangle with the help of his colleague DI Clive Roscoe.
The first installment, “A Mind to Murder,” follows the killing of an officious administrator in an experimental private psychiatric clinic, which puts each of her colleagues in the spotlight and sheds light on the questionable treatment of patients. In “Original Sin,” the mysterious death of an upstart publisher leads to the unraveling of a decades-old mystery, full of dark revenge and heartache. The final story will see Dalgliesh investigate a murder of an ex-inmate at a women’s prison in London, the murder draws attention to her aristocratic cell mate and reignites questions about a highly publicised murder trial.
Carvel once again returns as James’ titular poet-detective. Season 4 will also bring back Sam Swainsbury (Ludwig) as DI Clive Roscoe, the new second-in-command introduced in Season 3. No word on whether either Carlyss Peer (I, Jack Wright), who co-starred as partner-in-crime-solving DCI Kate Miskin in the first three seasons, or Alistair Brammer (The Puzzle Lady), who was introduced in Season 2 as DS Daniel Tarrant, will return.
Edmundson returns as lead writer, with Nick Drake co-writing. Directors Geoff Sax (Victoria), Roger Goldby (Call the Midwife), and Ryan & Andy Tohill (The Dig) all return to helm two installments each, with Adam Philpott & Marie-Thérèse Mackle producing. Carvel and Edmundson serve as executive producers, alongside Elaine Pyke & Willow Grylls for New Pictures and Bea Tammer & Don Klees for Acorn Media Enterprises.
Dalgliesh Season 4 is expected to stream on Acorn TV sometime in 2027.
Sign up for full access to Telly Visions' recaps and reviews!
(We occasionally use affiliate links in our posts to help keep cat food on the floor.)
