The Marlow Murder Club: release date, cast, plot, trailer and everything we know

The Marlow Murder Club stars Samantha Bond, Jo Martin and Cara Horgan.
The Marlow Murder Club is the newest project from Robert Thorogood. (Image credit: UKTV)

The Marlow Murder Club is a novel by Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, which has been adapted into a new two-part TV series.

The series follows retired archeologist Judith Potts (played by Samantha Bond) who lives a fairly normal life until she witnesses a murder. The police don't believe her so she takes matters into her own hands.

Setting up what happens to Judith, Samantha Bond tells us: "Every evening she has a whisky and then swims in the Thames, which is relaxing for her. But one day, during her swim, she hears a gunshot, which inspires her to begin her informal investigation. She has a passion — as I do — for puzzles. And because of her archaeological background, she likes to delve! By the end of the first episode, you know what’s at stake and yet there are so many knots still to be untied, doors to be opened and mysteries to be solved…"

Here's all about The Marlow Murder Club...

The Marlow Murder Club release date

The Marlow Murder Club was released on Drama on Wednesday, March 6, and  Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 8 pm. Both episodes have now aired. Episodes are available on demand via UKTV Play.

It is set to air on PBS Masterpiece in the US.

The Marlow Murder Club plot

Samantha Morton in The Marlow Murder Club

Samantha Morton in The Marlow Murder Club. (Image credit: UKTV)

The official synopsis for The Marlow Murder Club is: "Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there's no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper."

"One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don't believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar."

"Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club. When another body turns up, they realise they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape..."

The Marlow Murder Club cast

The Marlow Murder Club cast gathered around a table

The leading trio in The Marlow Murder Club. (Image credit: UKTV)

Downton Abbey's Samantha Bond plays the leading role of Judith Potts, a retired archaeologist who tries to report a murder but the police are skeptical, leading her to take matters into her own hands.

Jo Martin (Doctor Who) stars as Suzie Harris, Cara Horgan (The Sandman) as Becks Starling and Natalie Dew (The Capture) as DS Tanika Malik.

Is there a trailer?

Yes, a trailer has been released with creator Robert Thorogood giving viewers a breakdown of the plot, while clips from the two-parter tease what's to come. Take a look below...

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Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress