“A legendary detective drama”: Inside the BBC’s “dream” new Agatha Christie series The Detection Club

If you've worked your way through all the brilliant Agatha Christie adaptations from the chilling And Then There Were None to the cosier Seven Dials and unmissable Poirot, the BBC have made all of our Christmases come at once with the announcement of its dream new Agatha Christie series The Detection Club. But it’s no ordinary adaptation – the detective drama is inspired by the real-life 1930s crime-writing society whose members included: Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and GK Chesterton – and it promises to be nothing short of legendary.

The newly announced saga will immerse us in the golden age of the genre – think deadly intrigue, literary glamour and huge social change. Period drama royalty are joining to lead the cast: Call The Midwife’s Bryony Hannah will star as Christie, Downton Abbey’s Cara Theobold is Dorothy L Sayers and Napoleon’s Miles Jupp will step into the shoes of GK Chesterton. But the writers aren’t playing make-believe this time – they’re solving real-life murder cases together.

With the series coming soon to the BBC, here’s everything you need to know about The Detection Club, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is The Detection Club about?

The 10-part detective drama The Detection Club will transport us to 1930s London, in the golden age of detective dramas, and follows the mysterious society formed by Britain’s most-loved crime writers: Agatha Christie (Bryony Hannah), Dorothy L Sayers (Cara Theobold) and GK Chesterton (Miles Jupp). The trio, who are renowned for writing fictional crime, find themselves embroiled in a series murders they haven't made up.

The acclaimed authors receive an invitation that leads them to their first murder case, which kickstarts a series of exciting investigations. Along the way, they meet D.I. Greenway (Viraj Juneja), a young police detective who’s in over his head. The writers’ extraordinary instincts both help and hinder his determination to prove himself.

The main cast members shared their excitement about taking on the iconic roles. Miles Jupp says: ‘GK Chesterton was one of the great intellects and storytellers of his age. He’s an endlessly intriguing character – as well as a pleasingly eccentric one – and so I'm delighted to be joining The Detection Club. It really ought to be lots of fun.’

Bryony Hannah says: ‘Agatha Christie is the bestselling novelist of all time; and yet I knew very little about the woman behind the pen. The Detection Club gives us a chance to meet Agatha in a whole new light. I’m so looking forward to exploring her wit, intellect and flaws with such a fab team.’

Cara Theobold says: ‘Dorothy L Sayers was razor sharp, wonderfully funny and gloriously uncompromising, so the opportunity to bring her to life and inhabit her world is a real thrill. Playing such a pioneering writer, especially alongside Miles and Bryony, is pretty much a dream job.’

Who’s in the cast of The Detection Club?

The cast of The Detection Club includes:

• Miles Jupp (Belgravia: The Next Chapter, Napoleon) as GK Chesterton
• Bryony Hannah (Call The Midwife, Rivals, The Sister Boniface Mysteries) as Agatha Christie
• Cara Theobold (Downton Abbey, The Syndicate) as Dorothy L Sayers
• Viraj Juneja (Little English, Get Duked!) as D.I. Greenway.

How can I watch The Detection Club?

With production for The Detection Club underway, most information is still under wraps – but we’ll keep you updated here as soon as an official date is released by the BBC.

What other detective dramas can I watch now?

For a darker detective drama, steeped in history, we’d suggest The Alienist, the series starts with police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty) recruiting an unconventional sleuthing trio to bring down a serial killer. The series follows criminal psychiatrist Dr Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl), newspaper illustrator John Moore (Luke Evans) and ambitious secretary Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning) as they try and stay one step ahead of the killer, who’s targeting young boys. But will they stop him? The Alienist is available to watch now on U. For another stylish detective drama, try Inspector George Gently, where the eponymous anti-corruption inspector (Martin Shaw) takes the young and rash DS John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) under his wing as they solve a string of complex crimes in 1960s North East England. Inspector George Gently is available to stream now on Netflix.