There's a brand new on-screen reimagining of the popular Inspector Lynley mysteries, based on the best-selling novel series by Elizabeth George, coming to the BBC this autumn – and there's lots to get excited about.
This isn't the first BBC adaptation, with The Inspector Lynley Mysteries previously airing on BBC One from 2001 to 2008, spanning six seasons. In that version, the leading role of Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley was played by Nathaniel Parker, while Sharon Small, Lesley Vickerage and Shaun Parkes also starred.
The 2025 reboot will see a new roster of actors taking on the roles, including Daniel Mays (Line of Duty, Bookish). While you wait for the new crime drama to arrive, we've got the lowdown on everything you need to know.
What is the BBC's Lynley about?
A classic detective drama, the titular character is Tommy Lynley, who's been described by the BBC as being a "brilliant police detective" and somewhat of an "outsider" in his department due to his aristocratic upbringing.
Making up the other half of the "unconventional duo at the heart of the series" will be his professional partner Barbara Havers, described as a sergeant "with a maverick attitude" from a working-class background.
The synopsis adds: "With seemingly nothing in common and against all odds, the mismatched duo of Lynley and Havers become a formidable team, bonded by their desire to see justice done.
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"His brain and her spirit – his knowledge and her instincts. It is only through working side by side do they both find where they truly belong."
Who is in the cast for the BBC's new Lynley reboot?
Detective Lynley will be played by Leo Suter, who you may recognise from Vikings: Valhalla and Sanditon.
The role of DS Barbara Havers goes to Sofia Barclay, who could recently be seen in Prime Video's Leo Woodall-fronted thriller Prime Target. She has also appeared in Apple TV+'s breakout hit Ted Lasso, and in Channel 4's award-winning comedy series We Are Lady Parts.
As mentioned above, Daniel Mays will once again be flashing a fictional police badge, this time playing the character of DCI Brian Nies. In a preview feature in The Hollywood Reporter, Lynley's writer and executive producer Steve Thompson teased a little about what we can expect from Mays' character in the show.
"He worked boots on the ground, has done the beat, been in uniform for years, and finally got the promotion," he said. "And he looks at Lynley and can't avoid thinking that this guy is just dripping with privilege, and it makes him resentful."
Previously sharing an "early glimpse" at his character with his Instagram followers, Daniel Mays described the Lynley reboot as being "a gripping and sophisticated new crime drama", while noting the "fantastic time" he had working with co-stars Suter and Barclay.
Other supporting cast members include Niamh Walsh (The English Game), Michael Workeye (This is Going to Hurt, The Stolen Girl) and Joshua Sher (Vera).
What is the BBC's new Lynley reboot based on?
This new adaptation won't reference the previous BBC series from the early 2000s, and will instead be its own standalone imagining based on the written source material.
"We have taken on more recent novels to bring to screen. And what we have done completely stands alone," Thompson told THR. "So, people can come to it completely fresh with no prior knowledge."
The author of the novels, Elizabeth George, is also on board for the BBC series, serving as an executive producer.
What is the release date for Lynley?
While an exact date has not yet been announced, we do know that the four-part crime procedural will arrive in autumn 2025.
We have been given a series of first looks at the new cast members, including the main duo of Lynley and Havers, as well as Mays' DCI Nies. A trailer hasn't yet been revealed.
Lynley will air on BBC One and will also premiere on BBC iPlayer in the UK. It will be coming to BritBox in the US and Canada.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
