New Sherlock Reunion Confirmed For Creator's Hit Returning Detective Series 9 Years Later

Mark Gatiss returns as consulting detective Gabriel Book in Bookish season 2, and he's recruited an old friend from Sherlock. Season 1 of Bookish, currently airing weekly on PBS in the US, introduces viewers to antiquarian bookshop owner Gabriel Book, who moonlights as a detective in post-World War II London, helped by his wife and protector, Trottie (Polly Walker), and trainees Jack (Connor Finch) and Nora (Buket Kömür).

Of course, no consulting detective's story would be complete without a real police detective to annoy (and secretly befriend). Sherlock Holmes had Inspector Lestrade; in Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, Bundle has Superintendent Battle. Gatiss previously told ScreenRant how he was inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's and Christie's works when creating Bookish, so it's no surprise his new series features that kind of relationship, too.

In Bookish, the role of the disgruntled Inspector belongs to Elliot Levey's Inspector Bliss, who will return for Bookish season 2 alongside Book's closest circle. They'll be joined by a familiar former police detective, however, as Rupert Graves, who portrayed Sherlock Holmes' (Benedict Cumberbatch) frenemy Inspector Lestrade in all four seasons of the BBC's Sherlock, will also be joining the cast for Bookish season 2.

Check out first-look images of Bookish season 2 below, one of which features Graves as character Colonel Reggie Winters, looking slightly alarmed as Trottie and Jack get into a London cab.

Other new cast members include a wealth of familiar British actors, including Jason Watkins (McDonald & Dodds) as Harold Sneed, Miranda Richardson (Good Omens) as Duchess Alberta, Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) as Mrs Calthrop, Youssef Kerkour (Home) as Yusuf, Allan Corduner (Da Vinci's Demons) as Maxie Kleinmann, Ruth Codd (How To Train Your Dragon) as India Flynn, and Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as the mysterious 'E'.

Further returning cast members include Blake Harrison as Sergeant Morris, Rosie Cavaliero as Ada Dredge, Gerard Horan as Mr. Baseheart, Nadia Albina as Dr. Calder, and Jonas Nay as Felix.

The official synopsis for season 2's three new cases, as revealed by UKTV, reads:

"In the second series, Book investigates the world of spiritualism when he’s asked to help solve the mysterious case involving medium, Harold Sneed (Watkins). Off Savile Row, Bliss asks Book to help in a puzzling murder at a gentleman’s outfitters — the elderly tailor Maxie Kleinmann (Corduner) is keen to confess to the murder, but the evidence doesn’t quite stack up and points to something much more complex and sinister. And Book and Jack are sent to the seemingly charming German village of Würl by the mysterious ‘E’ (Callow) to thwart a thieving Duchess (Richardson) at Christmas time. However, festivities take a deadly turn when Book and Jack uncover secrets of their own, past and present, in an ominous castle brimming with plausible murder suspects."

Bookish, which currently boasts a rare 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, was renewed for a second season before the first season had even premiered in the UK. Filming wrapped in December 2025, and it's been confirmed that the new episodes will premiere on U&Alibi in the UK later this year.

The first season contains three separate murder mysteries, told across six episodes. In the US, Bookish season 1, episode 4, "Deadly Nitrate, Part 2", will premiere on PBS on Sunday, February 1, as Book and his friends try to stop a string of murders on a glamorous, London-based film set.

Will Rupert Graves' character appear for one story in season 2, or will he return for more episodes as part of Gabriel's mysterious, Winston Churchill-approved past? Find out when Bookish returns for a second murder-filled season.

New episodes of Bookish season 1 premiere on Sundays on PBS until February 15.

Release Date July 16, 2025

Network U&Alibi

Directors Carolina Giammetta

Cast

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