Why is it that every time a former detective tries to retire to a quiet village, they’re forced back into work thanks to a sinister crime? If you’re into the classic (for a reason) trope, then Monsieur Spade is the detective drama we'd highly recommend watching tonight. In the peaceful French village of Bozouls, legendary Detective Sam Spade (Clive Owen) is trying to enjoy his well-deserved retirement when a heinous crime drags him back into action.
Detective Sam Spade isn't just any detective, he's a household name in the literary world, having been the centre character of the 1930 novel, The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett. While the TV series isn't a direct adaptation of the book, it is a series that brings Detective Spade to life in very pleasing fashion - and you can expect the perfect blend of Sherlock’s wit and the cosiness of Midsomer Murders from it.
Before you put your feet up to watch Monsieur Spade, here’s everything you need to know about the detective drama, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Monsieur Spade about?
The six-part series begins in 1955 when Detective Sam Spade (Clive Owen) is paid to deliver a young girl named Teresa to the father she's never known in the quiet French village of Bozouls - but no one seems to know her father’s whereabouts. When Teresa’s grandmother refuses to help, Spade leaves the girl with the local nuns. Instead of booking the next flight back to San Francisco, he chooses to settle down in the rural village after falling in love with a woman named Gabrielle (Chiara Mastroianni).
Suddenly, we're transported to 1963 and Spade – suffering from emphysema - is living in the estate he inherited from Gabrielle, who died in the years before the eight-year time jump. Spade’s quiet retirement comes to a screeching halt when six nuns are massacred at a nearby convent. The murders are somehow connected to a mysterious child and his own past, and Detective Space works tirelessly to uncover the dark secrets surrounding the murders while the locals grieve.
Who's in the cast of Monsieur Spade?
The cast of Monsieur Spade includes:
What to read next
- Clive Owen (Closer, Sin City) as Detective Sam Spade
- Cara Bossom (Deep State) as Teresa
- Denis Ménochet (Inglourious Basterds) as Chief of Police Patrice Michard
- Louise Bourgoin (The Love Punch) as Marguerite Devereaux
- Chiara Mastroianni (Americano) as Gabrielle
- Stanley Weber (Black Mirror, Berlin Station)as Jean-Pierre Devereaux
- Matthew Beard (Magpie Murders, Funny Woman) as George Fitzsimmons
- Jonathan Zaccaï (Robin Hood, Downton Abbey: A New Era) as Philippe Saint-André
- Rebecca Root (Heartstopper, The Queen's Gambit) as Cynthia Fitzsimmons
- Oscar Lesage (The Substance, Dangerous Liaisons) as Henri Thibaut
- Dean Winters (Law & Order: SVU, Battle Creek) as Father Matthew
- Alfre Woodard (Cross Creek, Clemency) as Virginia Dell
Is there a trailer for Monsieur Spade?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for Monsieur Spade here:
How can I watch Monsieur Spade?
Good news - Monsieur Spade is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
You can't beat the classic and Midsomer Murders is proof of it. One of Britain’s longest running cosy crime dramas, having launched in 1997 with DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) in charge of investigations into rural crimes, it's still going strong (with Neil Dudgeon leading the cast) for good reason. Midsomer Murders is available to watch now on ITVX. Another easy-to-watch series is Darby and Joan, which follows the unlikely partnership between the titular characters as they solve crimes in the blistering heat of Australia. The full series is available to watch on U.
