The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a British crime drama television series that aired on BBC One from 12 March 2001 to 1 June 2008, and is available to stream on BritBox. Based on novels by the American writer Elizabeth George, it comprises six series and 24 episodes. The protagonist, Detective Inspector Tommy Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton (Nathaniel Parker), is assigned to the Metropolitan Police and finds himself paired with Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small). In addition to the tensions involved in solving murder cases, the series is built on clashes of personality, gender and class: Lynley is a polished man and a peer of the realm, and Havers is an untidy woman from a working-class background.
In August 2007, the BBC announced its intention to stop production of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Fans of the series mounted a campaign to save it, with a petition and by contacting the BBC, but without success. All six series have since been released on DVD, distributed by Acorn Media UK.
All episodes from the first two series and two from the third are based on Elizabeth George's novels, though the plots and characters are often significantly altered. Initially adapted by Lizzie Mickery, later episodes are original stories for television based on George's characters. The music for the series was composed by Robert Lockhart; later series were scored by Debbie Wiseman.
Production The first episode (pilot), A Great Deliverance, was broadcast on 12 and 13 March 2001, the only two-part episode throughout the series run. It is based on the first Inspector Lynley novel.
The first full series began broadcasting on 8 April 2002, with the first episode based on and named after the third novel, Well-Schooled in Murder. The first eleven episodes were based on and named after the eleven Lynley novels published from 1988 to 2001, but not all in the published sequence.
Filming Exterior shots of Lynley and Havers' base were filmed at the Bircham Dyson Bell solicitors offices on Broadway, central London. The first episode of series five was notable for being shot in Dungeness in Kent.
In the first episode, Lynley drove a Peugeot 607; whereas in both series one and two he drove a Jensen Interceptor; and in later episodes a Bristol 410. Despite the frequently recurring remark in PBS Mystery! presenter Diana Rigg's introductions to the series that Lynley "is the one with the Bentley", he did not drive a Bentley in the series.
mwas portrayed by Lesley Vickerage from series one to
Cast Nathaniel Parker as Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley Sharon Small as Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers Emma Fielding as Helen Clyde (Pilot) Lesley Vickerage as Helen Clyde (Series 1-2) / Helen Lynley (Series 3) Catherine Russell as Helen Lynley (Series 5) Paul Hickey as Forensic Pathologist Stewart Lafferty (Series 4-6) Shaun Parkes as Detective Constable Winston Nkata (Series 5-6)
Episode list
A Great Deliverance (2001)
Series 1 (2002)
Series 2 (2003)
Series 3 (2004)
Series 4 (2005)
Series 5 (2006)
Series 6 (2008) The broadcast of Limbo and Know Thine Enemy was initially postponed: they were due to air on 9 and 16 August 2007 respectively but did not air as scheduled. Their premiere broadcast came on 11 and 18 November 2007 on BBC Entertainment, before being broadcast on BBC One for the first time on 25 May and 1 June 2008 respectively.
International broadcasts In the United States, all six series were broadcast on PBS from 2002 to 2008.
A Great Deliverance was broadcast on the series Mystery! in two parts as Inspector Lynley I on 19 and 26 August 2002. Series 1 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley II on 31 August and 7, 14, and 21 September 2003. Series 2 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley III on 5, 12, 19, and 26 September 2004. Series 3 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley IV on 26 June and 3, 10, and 17 July 2005. Series 4 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley V on 10, 17, 24 September, and 1 October 2006. Series 5 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley VI on 9 and 16 September and 7 and 14 October 2007.
Episode 4 was the final broadcast of Mystery! before WGBH retooled the classic anthology series, along with Masterpiece Theatre, into Masterpiece.
Series 6 was shown on Masterpiece Mystery! as Inspector Lynley VII on 10 and 17 August 2008.
In December 2014, Knowledge Network began broadcasting the series from the beginning in Canada.
Home media +DVD titleRegion 2Region 4The Complete First Series3 July 20062 April 2008 September 14, 2016 (Re-Release)The Complete Second Series21 April 20086 May 2010 September 14, 2016 (Re-Release)The Complete Third Series15 March 20091 May 2013 September 14, 2016 (Re-Release)The Complete Fourth Series1 June 20096 November 2013 September 14, 2016 (Re-Release)The Complete Fifth Series5 October 200914 September 2016The Complete Sixth Series10 May 201014 September 2016The Complete First & Second Series14 April 2014N/AThe Complete Third & Fourth SeriesN/AThe Complete Fifth & Sixth SeriesN/AThe Complete Inspector Lynley Mysteries 14 September 2016
Reboot "Lynley", a new adaptation of the books, started streaming on BritBox in September 2025. It is written by Steve Thompson and directed by Ed Bazalgette. Leo Suter stars as Lynley, whilst Havers is played by Sofia Barclay. The first series comprises four 90-minute episodes.
References
External links
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries at bbc.co.uk Official Masterpiece Mystery! website for The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Old Official Mystery! website for The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
Nathaniel Parker's Official Homepage covers all the latest news on the series as well as a complete collection of episode reviews Forum for discussion of "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries." International membership. Photos, fan fiction, links