# Miss Scarlet and The Duke

Miss Scarlet, titled Miss Scarlet and The Duke in series 1–4, is a British-American period television crime drama created by Rachael New. It stars Kate Phillips (Eliza Scarlet) and Stuart Martin ("The Duke") as the title characters, two Victorian era detectives.
The first series debuted on Alibi in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2020, and premiered in the United States on 17 January 2021, as part of PBS's Masterpiece anthology series. A second series was announced by PBS on 29 March 2021. It premiered on Alibi in the UK on 14 June 2022, and on PBS in the US on 16 October 2022. Series three, four, and five all first premiered on PBS, with series 3 on 8 January 2023; series 4 on 7 January 2024; and series 5 on 12 January 2025. Series 5 marked a turnover for the series: Stuart Martin departed the show, and his character "the Duke" was written out. The show's fifth series was retitled "Miss Scarlet" as a result. Tom Durant-Pritchard took a replacement role as Inspector Alexander Blake. A sixth season is confirmed to be in production.

## Plot and characters

In Victorian London, 1882, Eliza Scarlet is left almost penniless when her father, Henry, unexpectedly dies. Although marriage would appear to be her only option for financial security, Eliza resolves to take over her father's detective agency alone, working under his name. Struggling to build her reputation in the male-dominated world of crime-solving, she frequently calls on her childhood friend William Wellington, a gruff Scottish detective inspector of Scotland Yard, for assistance.
William is known in the police force as "The Duke" or simply "Duke", a nickname referring to the Duke of Wellington. Eliza's late father Henry saved William from the London streets after arriving from Glasgow as a child, and later mentored him as he trained as a policeman. As a result, William looked up to Henry as a father figure. William once kissed Eliza following her dog's death, which he characterises as "a chaste kiss," to her annoyance. Though he is irritated by Eliza's detective aspirations, he cares for her and gradually begins to show respect for her skills.
Eliza also befriends Rupert Parker, a wealthy man who provides her with direly needed loans. Rupert is the bachelor (and secretly gay) son of Mrs. Parker, a rich landlady who owns Eliza's home, and relies on Eliza's advice to navigate his personal life. Eliza lives with her housekeeper, Ivy Woods, who helped raise her after Eliza's mother died (some time before the series begins). Eliza and William bicker and argue constantly, but also share moments of subtle flirtation and care for each other deeply.
Series writer and creator Rachael New took inspiration for Eliza's character from Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Born into a middle-class family, Eliza uses her appearance as a refined Victorian lady to her advantage; both clients and suspects underestimate her and she frequently relies on this, her wits, and her father's training to solve cases. William and Eliza work on several cases together, though she is uncredited, causing disputes between them. Eliza also relies on a Black criminal, Moses, for help dealing with the dangerous underworld of London. Moses is amused by Eliza's gumption, and they connect as outsiders to society.

## Cast
### Overview

| Actor | Character | Occupation | Series | Series | Series | Series | Series |
| Actor | Character | Occupation | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kate Phillips | Eliza Scarlet | Private detective | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main |
| Stuart Martin | William "Duke" Wellington | Police detective inspector | Main | Main | Main | Main | |
| Ansu Kabia | Moses Valentine | Petty criminal; Eliza's assistant | Main | Main | Main | Does not appear | |
| Cathy Belton | Ivy Woods | Housekeeper | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main |
| Simon Ludders | Mr Barnabus Potts | Coroner | Recurring | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular |
| Kevin Doyle | Henry Scarlet | Private detective | Regular | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Andrew Gower | Rupert Parker | Businessman | Regular | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Matthew Malone | Clarence Honeychurch | Police constable | Recurring | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Danny Midwinter | Frank Jenkins | Police detective sergeant | Regular | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Nick Dunning | Stirling | Police superintendent | Regular | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Richard Evans | Herr Hildegard | Funeral director | Regular | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Amy McAllister | Tilly Hildegard | | Recurring | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Ian Pirie | Monro | Police superintendent | Does not appear | Regular | Regular | Does not appear | |
| Evan McCabe | Oliver Fitzroy | Police detective | Does not appear | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular |
| Tim Chipping | Charlie Phelps | Police detective sergeant | Does not appear | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular |
| Jessie Cave | Harriet "Hattie" Parker | Lady's companion | Does not appear | Regular | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Felix Scott | Patrick Nash | Private detective | Does not appear | Recurring | Regular | Regular | Regular |
| Brian Bovell | Solomon | Shopkeeper | Does not appear | Recurring | Recurring | Does not appear | |
| Sophie Robertson | Arabella Acaster | Restaurant owner | Does not appear | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear |
| Helen Norton | Mrs Parker | Landlady | Recurring | Recurring | Does not appear | Does not appear | |
| Oliver Chris | Basil Sinclaire | Journalist | Does not appear | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | |
| Laura Rollins | Clementine | Sex worker | Does not appear | Recurring | Recurring | Does not appear | |
| Paul Bazely | Clarence Pettigrew | Bookkeeper | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Regular | Regular |
| Tom Durant-Pritchard | Alexander Blake | Police detective inspector | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Regular |

### Detective agency

* Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet, an ambitious young woman who takes over her late father's detective agency
* Laura Marcus as young Eliza Scarlet
* Ansu Kabia as Moses Valentine, a Jamaican British petty criminal whom Eliza frequently hires as an assistant, informant, or debt collector (series 1-3)
* Kevin Doyle as Henry Scarlet (series 1), Eliza's father and William's mentor
* Andrew Gower as Rupert Parker (series 1), Eliza's friend and investor

### Police officials

* Stuart Martin as William "Duke" Wellington (series 1-4), a detective inspector with the Metropolitan Police
* Matt Olsen as young William "Duke" Wellington
* Simon Ludders as Mr Potts (series 1–2; guest, series 3–), a city coroner, who antagonises Eliza but later romantically pursues Ivy
* Matthew Malone as Clarence Honeychurch (series 1), a police constable
* Danny Midwinter as Frank Jenkins (series 1), William's assistant, a detective sergeant
* Nick Dunning as Superintendent Stirling (series 1), William's supervisor
* Ian Pirie as Superintendent Monro (series 2– ), Stirling's successor
* Evan McCabe as Oliver Fitzroy (series 2– ), a new and untested detective, and the son of the police commissioner
* Tim Chipping as DS Phelps (series 2– ), a harsh colleague of William's, temporarily replaces William following his departure for America
* Tom Durant-Pritchard as Alexander Blake (series 5), a former soldier turned inspector who (permanently) replaces William following his departure for America

### Associates

* Cathy Belton as Ivy Woods, Eliza's housekeeper
* Richard Evans as Herr Hildegard (series 1), a funeral director who works near Eliza's office
* Amy McAllister as Tilly Hildegard (series 1), Herr Hildegard's German niece, who pursues and eventually marries Rupert
* Jessie Cave as Harriet "Hattie" Parker (series 2), Mrs Parker's niece and companion
* Felix Scott as Patrick Nash (recurring, series 2; regular, series 3– ), another private detective
* Paul Bazely as Clarence (regular, series 4) a bookkeeper employed by Patrick Nash
* Brian Bovell as Solomon (guest, series 2; regular, series 3 ), a shopkeeper specialising in exotic poisons
* Sophie Robertson as Arabella Acaster (series 3 ), an old schoolmate who bullied Eliza as a child
* Helen Norton as Mrs Parker (recurring, series 1–2), Eliza's landlady and Rupert's mother
* Oliver Chris as Basil Sinclaire (recurring, series 2– ), a journalist specialising in sensational crime stories
* Laura Rollins as Clementine (recurring, series 2–3 ), a sex worker and friend of Moses', occasionally hired by Eliza for various tasks

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 6 | 6 | 31 March 2020 (2020-3-31) | 5 May 2020 (2020-5-5) |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 14 June 2022 (2022-6-14) | 19 July 2022 (2022-7-19) |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 January 2023 (2023-1-8) | 12 February 2023 (2023-2-12) |
| 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 January 2024 (2024-1-7) | 11 February 2024 (2024-2-11) |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | 15 January 2025 (2025-1-15) | January 2025 (2025-1) |

### Series 1 (2020)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Inheritance" | Declan O'Dwyer | Rachael New | 31 March 2020 (2020-3-31) |
| After the death of her ailing private detective father, Eliza Scarlet is forced to take on a missing persons case to pay his debts, but the investigation is complicated when she realizes that her client, a seasoned con man, has manipulated her to gain control of his wife's inheritance. With the aid of her father's old protégé, Detective Inspector William "Duke" Wellington, and local criminal Moses Valentine, Eliza proves that her client is a bigamist and apprehends him, enabling his wife to regain her inheritance and her freedom. |||||
| 2 | "The Woman in Red" | Declan O'Dwyer | Rachael New | 7 April 2020 (2020-4-7) |
| Eliza's landlady, enraged by the former's refusal to marry her son, calls in the unpaid lease she owes for her ancestral home. Eliza is hired to investigate a murder — only to discover that the dead man committed suicide and that the supposed murderer was framed by his wife after she uncovered his homosexuality. With help from Moses, she obtains the necessary evidence to clear the man's name seconds before his execution. Eliza subsequently hires Moses to collect payment from a difficult former client and pays off her lease in full. |||||
| 3 | "Deeds Not Words" | Declan O'Dwyer | Rachael New | 14 April 2020 (2020-4-14) |
| Duke hires Eliza to go undercover and infiltrate a women's suffrage group campaigning for the vote. |||||
| 4 | "Memento Mori" | Declan O'Dwyer | Ben Edwards | 21 April 2020 (2020-4-21) |
| Eliza finds herself contacted by a death photographer who seems to be receiving bizarre and threatening messages from beyond the grave. She later makes a surprising discovery about her father and realises that Duke is taking the credit for solving cases that she herself has solved. |||||
| 5 | "Cell 99" | Declan O'Dwyer | Ben Edwards | 28 April 2020 (2020-4-28) |
| Eliza's discovery of her father's casebook leads her to an abandoned prison on the outskirts of London. She and William investigate what seems like an empty building, but they soon discover that it is the hideout for a criminal gang. William believes Moses is involved, but Eliza defends him. |||||
| 6 | "The Case of Henry Scarlet" | Declan O'Dwyer | Rachael New | 5 May 2020 (2020-5-5) |
| Eliza discovers that her father's death may have been murder. With time running out, she has to solve a perplexing puzzle. |||||

### Series 2 (2022)

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 7 | 1 | "Pandora's Box" | Steve Hughes | Rachael New | 14 June 2022 (2022-6-14) |
| Eliza is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young woman who works at Wentworth's department store: a case which has already been dismissed by Duke. ||||||
| 8 | 2 | "The Black Witch Moth" | Steve Hughes | Rachael New | 21 June 2022 (2022-6-21) |
| Eliza is hired by an insurance company to investigate the theft of a rare sketch by Charles Darwin, but the case becomes more complicated when she finds that the insurance company that hired her doesn't exist. ||||||
| 9 | 3 | "A Pauper's Grave" | Steve Hughes | Rachael New | 28 June 2022 (2022-6-28) |
| Eliza is accused of breaking into the city morgue and stealing files when her mother's ring is found there, but the subsequent investigation reveals ties to a series of past thefts. ||||||
| 10 | 4 | "Angel of Inferno" | Ivan Zivkovic | Rachael New | 5 July 2022 (2022-7-5) |
| Eliza is hired by a quack doctor to investigate a blackmail case. Meanwhile, rival private detective Patrick Nash tries to force her to join his agency. ||||||
| 11 | 5 | "Quarter to Midnight" | Ivan Zivkovic | Ben Edwards | 12 July 2022 (2022-7-12) |
| Duke is offered a promotion to chief inspector that would require him to transfer to Glasgow, while Eliza discovers two murders were inspired by a crime novel. ||||||
| 12 | 6 | "The Proposal" | Ivan Zivkovic | Ben Edwards and Rachael New | 19 July 2022 (2022-7-19) |
| After Nash is injured in a murder attempt, he hires Eliza to find the man responsible. Forced to accept the position in Glasgow, Duke struggles to train Oliver Fitzroy, the police commissioner's son, as his replacement. ||||||

### Series 3 (2023)

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 13 | 1 | "The Vanishing" | Steve Hughes | Rachael New (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 8 January 2023 (2023-1-8) |
| Eliza is hired to investigate the disappearance of a magician, unaware that William is also on the case. William tries to quash the leaking of case information to the press. ||||||
| 14 | 2 | "Arabella" | Steve Hughes | Sarah-Louise Hawkins | 15 January 2023 (2023-1-15) |
| William and Eliza investigate a series of thefts at a local restaurant. Eliza encounters her childhood enemy Arabella and comes to suspect that she is involved in the crimes. ||||||
| 15 | 3 | "Hotel St Marc" | Rachael New | Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 22 January 2023 (2023-1-22) |
| Eliza tracks down a conman, believing she has finally caught Scotland Yard's most wanted man -- but she is not the only one who hopes to claim the reward. ||||||
| 16 | 4 | "Bloodline" | Ivan Zivkovic | Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 29 January 2023 (2023-1-29) |
| Detective Fitzroy hires Eliza to look into a case of police corruption after he sees a colleague plant evidence on a suspect. ||||||
| 17 | 5 | "The Heir" | Steve Hughes | Dan Muirden | 5 February 2023 (2023-2-5) |
| Eliza is on the verge of earning life-changing money when she offers to help the heir to an unclaimed fortune. ||||||
| 18 | 6 | "The Jewel of the North" | Steve Hughes | Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 12 February 2023 (2023-2-12) |
| Eliza, Nash, Moses, and Wellington are all sent bombs in the post. A robbery has been committed on The Jewel of the North, a train running between London and Liverpool. Everyone must figure out who sent the bombs to them and how the bombs are connected to the train robbery. ||||||

### Series 4 (2024)

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 19 | 1 | "Elysium" | Nimer Rashed | Rachael New (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 7 January 2024 (2024-1-7) |
| Eliza has taken over the London office of Nash's agency. However, all but one of the employees have left in protest. She helps Duke investigate a robbery at an "elite gentlemen's club" (a brothel). ||||||
| 20 | 2 | "Six Feet Under" | Nimer Rashed | Sarah-Louise Hawkins | 14 January 2024 (2024-1-14) |
| One of Mr Potts's friends is murdered and he turns to Miss Scarlet because the police force is overwhelmed. At the end of the episode, Duke is forced to raid a gang's house despite being short on men and is shot in the chest. ||||||
| 21 | 3 | "Origins" | Rachael New | Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 21 January 2024 (2024-1-21) |
| Duke is in a coma following the shooting. He has a flashback to when the two first met and solved a murder he had witnessed. At the end of the episode, Duke wakes. ||||||
| 22 | 4 | "The Diamond Feather" | Nimer Rashed | Rachael New (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 28 January 2024 (2024-1-28) |
| Nash returns to London and criticizes Miss Scarlet's handling of his agency. A diamond feather that belonged to Admiral Nelson has been stolen and the two are hired to find it. At the end of the episode, Duke confesses his love of Miss Scarlet to her and announces he will leave to join a New York City police program for a year. ||||||
| 23 | 5 | "The Calling" | Rachael New | Dan Muirden | 4 February 2024 (2024-2-4) |
| Eliza and Nash are still struggling to work together and cannot agree on a staff. They are hired to discover the cause of a gas explosion that killed three at a telephone company. After they solve the murder, Nash allows Eliza to choose whom to hire. ||||||
| 24 | 6 | "The Fugitive" | Milos Kodemo | Ben Edwards (story by Rachael New & Ben Edwards) | 11 February 2024 (2024-2-11) |
| Nash is accused of murder and goes into hiding. Eliza discovers the victim witnessed the murder of Nash's brother years ago and was killed by the murderer. At the end of the episode, Nash shoots and injures the murderer in self-defence and is jailed facing charges for abduction of the murderer and evading arrest. Phelps is promoted to head the division and take over Duke's role while he is in New York. ||||||

### Series 5 (2025)

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 25 | 1 | "The Rival" | Unknown | Rachael New (story by Rachael New) | 12 January 2025 (2025-1-12) |
| Eliza receives word that Inspector Wellington was offered permanent employment and will be staying in New York. She meets his replacement, Alexander Blake, a no-nonsense Inspector from Bristol who doesn't work with private detectives. She was originally put on a case of a missing Lord by Detective Phelps but Inspector Bowden tells her she is removed from it though she continues to investigate, to Bowden's irritation. She meets with Patrick Nash in prison and discusses her future in London. ||||||
| 26 | 2 | "The Guild" | Unknown | Unknown | 19 January 2025 (2025-1-19) |
| Eliza is drawn into the murder investigation of the chairman of the Guild of the Private Detectives. When she offers her services to Inspector Blake, he allows her to interview for new clerks instead. She and Clarence find a connection with one of the clerks to a local private detective that Eliza has had dealings with, who is also currently running in opposition to the dead chairman in the upcoming election. Eliza meets Inspector Blake's child, Sophia, when she goes to his home. ||||||
| 27 | 3 | "The Thames Reaper" | Unknown | Unknown | 26 January 2025 (2025-1-26) |
| 28 | 4 | "The Deal" | Unknown | Unknown | 2 February 2025 (2025-2-2) |
| Imprisoned private detective Patrick Nash is released from his criminal sentence early to his freedom at the behest of Lord Campbell, but with strings attached. Lord Campbell wants Nash to find his missing, indebted brother who has fallen in with criminal company. Nash and Clarence investigate the criminal underworld in the search. Eliza investigates a fraudster who seems to have scammed money from Mrs. Parker, and gives Nash a temporary place in her office. The two seemingly unrelated cases soon converge. ||||||
| 29 | 5 | "The Enchanted Mirror" | Unknown | Unknown | 9 February 2025 (2025-2-9) |
| Abraham Barratt, a theatre composer, is murdered, and Inspector Blake considers his partner Amil Kapoor the prime suspect. Barratt's safe is found empty and his most recent creation, an operetta called "The Enchanted Mirror", is missing. Eliza is hired by the victim's wife to investigate. Inspector Phelps struggles with alcohol and mounts his own spoiler investigation. ||||||
| 30 | 6 | "Dangerous Liaisons" | Unknown | Unknown | 16 February 2025 (2025-2-16) |
| Against the advice of everyone, Eliza takes up an investigation into Police Commissioner Fitzroy at the behest of his wife. Mrs. Fitzroy knows he is lying about something, and suspects an affair. Events quickly spiral out of control, as Oliver Fitzroy is beaten by unknown assailants, and Eliza finds herself caught between two secretive factions both closely watching the Commissioner's activities as well. The wedding of Ivy and Mr. Potts is soon to be held. ||||||