How ‘Lynley’ Brings Elizabeth George Hit Crime Novels to Cinematic Life With Whodunnits, Social Issues, Leo Suter and Sofia Barclay
Lynley, a new TV series based on the hit novels by Elizabeth George about a mismatched detective duo, is looking to make a global splash. Leo Suter (Vikings: Valhalla, Victoria, Sanditon) and Sofia Barclay (Prime Target, Ted Lasso, We Are Lady Parts) star as the unconventional team of DI Tommy Lynley and DS Barbara Havers in the four-episode show from Colin Callender’s production company Playground (Wolf Hall, All Creatures Great and Small) that creatives and executives believe can become a new franchise.
The new adaptation, or reimagining, of the globally popular intellectual property is one of BBC Studios’ lead scripted titles being launched at the annual BBC Studios Showcase in London this week. The premium crime show mixes whodunits with explorations of social issues, including class differences, prejudices, workplace dynamics and identity. And it features the cinematic look, Britishness and universal stories that the creatives expect to speak to audiences well beyond Britain.
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The latest collaboration between BBC Studios and Playground was commissioned by BritBox U.S. in association with the BBC and shot in Ireland with an ensemble cast that also includes Daniel Mays (Magpie Murders), Niamh Walsh (The English Game), Michael Workeye (My Lady Jane) and Joshua Sher (Vera). BBC Studios is selling the show around the world.
The series, from writer and executive producer Steve Thompson (Vienna Blood), marks a return to TV for Lynley and Havers 17 years after the final episode of the BBC series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, which starred Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small and ran for six seasons.
“Tommy Lynley is a brilliant police detective but an outsider in the force — simply by virtue of his aristocratic upbringing. He is paired with Barbara Havers, a sergeant with a maverick attitude and a working-class background,” according to a show synopsis. “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.”
The stars and behind-the-scenes creatives describe the police station featured in the show as a microcosm of people with different experiences and life stories. The two protagonists in particular come from very different social backgrounds but find themselves teamed up in the police version of a last-chance saloon.
“Havers is more enthusiastic and goes more with her gut,” while Lynley comes from a more privileged background, as his clothes, car and other details in the series show, Suter explains to THR. “He’s an aristocrat, she’s more working-class and has to fight for everything that she’s got. But they become an excellent duo, and they become friends.”
His social background means Lynley is generally friendly, rational and business-focused, at least on the outside. “It’s quite an upper-class British thing to not be enthusiastic,” the actor shares. “It’s very uncouth to give 110 percent. Instead, you operate at 40 to 50 percent. You want to be calm.”
Adds Barclay: “What Lynley is saying may be polite, but he’s absolutely not being polite in his energy. So, the series deals with very universal themes that are being pushed through a very British lens, which I think people love. It’s a very useful petri dish.”
The two protagonists may not get along right away, “but actually, they are exactly what each of them needs,” Barclay tells THR. “They are the kind of medicine that each of them needs. And you get to fall in love with them and see them starting to appreciate each other despite their differences.”
In other words: Lynely serves up social dynamics and conflicts and cracking criminal cases that the duo must solve.
Writer and executive producer Thompson was aware of the previous Lynley series but didn’t want to reference it or require any knowledge of it. “We have taken on more recent novels to bring to screen. And what we have done completely stands alone,” he tells THR. “So, people can come to it completely fresh with no prior knowledge.”
The earliest Lynley novels were adapted more than 20 years ago. “Almost the first thing I said was, ‘We need to meet Lynley and Havers again as strangers,'” Thompson explains. “We can’t just come into the story with all this pre-knowledge of who they are. We needed to go back to basics, and we needed to see, because it’s the most explosive moment, that very first time they walk into a room and meet — and it’s all going wrong. You know, it’s going to go wrong before it goes right.”
George is an American who loves British culture, which comes through in the series. “She has written almost a love letter to it in so many ways,” shares Barclay.
Importantly, Thompson’s adaptation ensures things only get revealed over time. “One of the best things about the writing is they don’t give you everything right up front. It’s very much hinted at and suggested in the way that both of the characters, and actually all the characters, hold themselves, the way they speak, and also what they don’t say,” Barclay explains. “And the characters don’t just care about the law because it’s fun to care about,” she also emphasizes. “There are really personal reasons for both of these characters. It’s more than just a job for both of them.”
The best procedurals do that well, notes Robert Schildhouse, president, BritBox North America and general manager, BritBox International. “Yes, there is, let’s call it a case of the week. But you also get the long-term arcs,” he said. “We are leaving those breadcrumbs so that the viewers become incredibly invested. When we become invested in Lynley and Havers, we want to understand the tension between them. From the perspective of someone who wants to build a franchise, we want to have something that our audience really looks forward to.”
The relationship also evolves. Highlights Suter: “There are these complex, twisting crimes that they solve, but they also slowly help each other in their personal lives.”
There is also more to be explored in the relationship between Lynley and his boss DCI Brian Nies, portrayed by Daniel Mays. “He worked boots on the ground, has done the beat, been in uniform for years, and finally got the promotion,” notes Thompson. “And he looks at Lynley and can’t avoid thinking that this guy is just dripping with privilege, and it makes him resentful.”
While the crew filmed establishing shots in East Anglia in Eastern England, the series was produced in Ireland. Playground knew the country and its skilled crews from past productions. Plus, “Ireland has this really diverse set of landscapes and great crews,” says David Stern, joint managing director at Playground. “But we also had a scout going to all the real places in East Anglia, so that we could go scouting in Ireland because we didn’t want people to watch and say, ‘East Anglia doesn’t look like this.'”
Mark Linsey, president, scripted at BBC Studios, touts that Lynley brings together all the key elements that make a series a success, and then some. “It looks sumptuous and really amazing. It’s beautifully shot,” he tells THR. “There is so much to attract and engage you with the series. There is, obviously, the whodunit but also how the characters develop in their relationship. You are intrigued, and you want to know and see more. Steve’s writing is excellent, there is the murder mystery bit, there is the brilliant casting. It’s difficult to get all this right.”
Barclay also lauds the complexity and interesting layers of the show’s cast of characters as something that can keep not only the cast but also the viewers intrigued and engaged. “None of the characters you see are ever stereotypical,” she explains. “Everyone has got something a bit more interesting, hidden, mysterious. And the joy is figuring out those characters. And as an actor, to play any of those characters, you have so much backstory.”
Suter adds that the characters are also not static. “One of the nice things about the series is that you can see a character grow and develop,” he says. “And sure, when we meet Lynley, he’s a very good detective, but I think he gets better. And I think with every case that they solve, they get better, and they learn on the job about what works for them. His worldview actually changes over the course of the four films.”
Barclay echoes that. “There’s something so special about watching people with their own energies and attack modes being challenged, having to change, and learning to dance with others,” she said. “I think all of us in life can be so trepidatious, and it’s so much fun to watch people not do that and just be a bit more brave.”
The chemistry between Suter and Barclay’s characters is key to the show, and it stems from the stars’ positive real-life working relationship and collaborative approach, but also the fact that the producers added a chemistry check as part of the casting process. “This small part of the process has, I think, been dropped by the industry in most cases,” says Barclay. “I don’t know why people don’t do it as much anymore, but it’s something so vital that people miss a lot. The truth is, the fact that the people involved made that decision to go to that extra length means that you are going to work with not just incredible writing and an incredible crew, but also putting together the best energies that work well together. And I feel incredibly blessed and lucky that someone made that call and that [Leo and I] walked into the room at the same time because it just makes everything so much fun. We can’t really describe why different energies work well together — but that’s what chemistry is.”
Adds Schildhouse: “Police procedurals are being made, and there’s a lot of IP out there that’s beloved in this world. But how do you differentiate and cut through the rest of the market? That’s about having a story and rooting for the characters. And in Lynley, you are rooting for this relationship to work.”
Concludes Stern: “It’s really easy to cast two fantastic actors and actresses who, on their own, are great, but it doesn’t mean that they are going to work well together. That has nothing to do with how good they are at their job. It’s just the way life is. And this show lives and dies by that chemistry.”
Thompson enjoyed watching the finished series, sharing with THR: “The main thing for me actually watching again was that it made me realize that you, the audience, want to go and do the job with them. You want to hang out with them. And even though there’s a bit of antagonism, actually, the banter is quite fun. And they are pretty good at the job. If there was a third member of the team, I’d quite like it to be me.”
Suter and Barclay praise a great creative team and each other for the onscreen chemistry. “There’s something incredible about working with Leo, and it’s so cheesy to say it and you can blush all you want, but it’s the truth,” says Barclay. “He’s so enthusiastic, including when it comes to doing all these stunts. Those shooting days can be very long and quite difficult, so it’s incredible to do this alongside someone who is really brilliant and makes it fun, because he’s always up for it, and then looks so good when he does it.”
Suter laughs, smiles, and pays back the compliment. “Sofia brings such enthusiasm, kindness and warmth,” he says. “As we’re driving along in our car and have a private moment, because there’s no director next to you, we get to run the scenes a couple of times. And it’s so nice to do that with a friend and with someone who’s got your back.”
If all the creative chemistry does connect with audiences as much as the creators hope, Lynley and Havers could keep going for more seasons. “Elizabeth George is incredibly supportive. She saw the first episode, loved it and even said at the end, ‘I was so surprised when I found out who the killer was’ because of the great writing,” says Stern. “So, the idea is that this tandem can just really run and run and run.”
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