Masterpiece Studio

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the First Season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke*.* This is an encore release of an earlier podcast episode. A female private detective in Victorian London seems anachronistic — but Eliza Scarlet more than holds her own on the grimy streets of the British capitol. Kate Phillips is a witty delight in the title role, and she brings that zest to the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Second Season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. The witty banter and serialized crime-of-the-week format of Miss Scarlet and the Duke give viewers a regular pivot between the expected and the extraordinary. That span was exactly what series creator and executive producer Rachael New aimed for when she put together the show, and she explains the origin story  and looks ahead in a new conversation.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for episode two of Magpie Murders. Lesley Manville is in high demand lately for her excellent work on screen, so it seems only fitting that she come to the MASTERPIECE screen in the role of brilliant editor Susan Ryeland in the twisty mystery of Magpie Murders. Manville explores what drew her to the role, and where she stands in her storied career.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Magpie Murders. Anthony Horowitz has written dozen of books and scores of television dramas in his lengthy career, but the task of transforming his meta mystery novel, Magpie Murders — a crime novel about writing and publishing crime novels — was especially tricky. Fortunately for MASTERPIECE viewers, the resulting series is a delight, and the author explains the tricky choices he made to bring Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pünd to the screen.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the Seventh Season of Grantchester. As the seventh season of Grantchester comes to a surprisingly satisfying close, fans can be assured that the eighth season of the series is just over the horizon. Series creator and head writer Daisy Coulam and series lead — and director! — Tom Brittney return to the podcast to wrap up and look ahead .

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the Seventh Season of Grantchester. The stubborn Mrs. C — Sylvia Chapman — is a centerpiece of the Grantchester family. Her unexpected medical troubles this seventh season leave her and the entire vicarage at a loss. Fortunately, Tessa Peake-Jones is more than able to find the emotional center of her character's difficult moments.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of the Seventh Season of Grantchester. There's a rotating cast of murderers — and murder victims — on every episode of Grantchester. But where do the actors come from who populate the Cambridgeshire rogues’ gallery? Longtime series casting director Alex Irwin reveals how she casts a show.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Seventh Season of. Grantchester lead Tom Brittney already took a big leap in leading a series after a beloved main character left — and now, he takes on a new challenge in directing that show, too. The actor and director returns to the podcast for a very cinematic conversation about where he draws inspiration behind and in front of the camera.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of the Seventh Season of Grantchester. Maybe it’s the season, maybe it’s real-world changes, maybe it’s the tide — but Grantchester head writer and series creator Daisy Coulam feels a positive vibe in the seventh iteration of her character-driven murder mystery. True, there’s still murder — but things are looking up for Will, Geordie and their found families.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Ridley Road. Both sides of Sarah Solemani’s family have roots in the Ridley Road area of London, so when she read author Jo Bloom’s haunting novel, Ridley Road, she saw personal elements in the story. Still, the narrative on screen in her new miniseries — a young Jewish woman caught up in anti-fascist espionage — casts a wider and more thrilling net.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the Second Season of Sanditon. Charlotte Heywood is finally able to properly grieve her sense of loss, but the choices she makes at the end of this second season are surprising, to say the least. Rose Williams is ready for the story still to come in season three.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the Second Season of Sanditon. Sanditon's Crystal Clarke opens up about the journey that she and the series' creators undertook to give her West Indian heiress character, Miss Georgiana Lambe, a richer and more authentic development in this second season of the show.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of the Second Season of Sanditon. Alison Heywood is a newcomer to the up and coming resort town of Sanditon, and like her older sister Charlotte before her, she finds the entire experience to be a thrill. Rosie Graham is also new to the scene, and she used Alison's love of romantic novels and poetry to find the character's plucky drive.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Second Season of Sanditon. The Lady Esther Babington that returns to Sanditon is a softer, more open-minded woman than the biting character we knew before. Granted, her razor sharp wit remains, but Charlotte Spencer is glad to guide her character to a more loving place of grace this season.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of the Second Season of Sanditon. Arthur Parker is the life of any party in Sandtion — and much of that has to do with the charm of actor Turlough Convery. While much of his castmates would love to play his role, Convery brings a special approach to the happy youngest Parker sibling.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of the Second Season of Sanditon. Sanditon head writer Justin Young is as thrilled as you are to return to the most desirable destination on the south English coast. He returns to the podcast as well for a preview of a second season of romance and intrigue, and offers his thanks to the passion and commitment of the series' many active fans.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Seven of the Second Season of All Creatures Great and Small. The final episode of the second season of All Creatures Great and Small is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. That delicate balance is thanks to the work of series lead Nicholas Ralph, who feels right at home in the Yorkshire Dales. With two more seasons of the series on the way, Ralph looks ahead to the next chapter.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the Second Season of All Creatures Great and Small. At the end of another season of All Creatures Great and Small, Helen Alderson is still thinking about marriage — but now in an entirely new light. Rachel Shenton takes a sensible, sensitive approach to her character, and she explains some of Helen's hopes and fears after a busy season on the Dales.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of the Second Season of All Creatures Great and Small*.* The Brothers Farnon have a fraught relationship — but viewers can rest assured that the actors who play them don't have those struggles. Samuel West and Callum Woodhouse return to the podcast to explain how they locate that family tension on screen.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Second Season of All Creatures Great and Small. The All Creatures Great and Small cast sadly had to say goodbye to the remarkable Dame Diana Rigg after the first season of the series. Luckily for them — and for all of us — the phenomenal Patricia Hodge slips into the elegant role of Mrs. Pumphrey with a practiced ease. Hodge explores Darrowby, theatre and Derek in a new interview.