Fans of whodunits are in for a treat with “Dalgliesh”.
Based on three of PD James’s best-selling novels – “Shroud for a Nightingale”, “The Black Tower” and “A Taste for Death” – the six-part period crime drama centres on Inspector Adam Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel) as he solves unusual murders and, in so doing, exposes buried secrets.
Jeremy Irvine aids him as DS Charles Masterson, and Carlyss Peer as DS Kate Miskin.
As with most British offerings, the scenic landscape of England becomes a character in the storytelling.
The first episode takes place in January 1975, when student nurse Heather Pearce dies during a training demonstration at Nightingale House, a nurse training school.
Pathologist DR Chopra confirms the cause of death was poisoning.
Peer was keen to inhabit the role of Miskin even though she isn’t au fait with PD James’s novels.
She said: “Yes, though I haven’t read all of them, I wanted to be able to play her as I was playing her, rather than know what the journey might be. But I did go back and read them, and it was interesting in terms of PD James’s writing, which is so detailed and nuanced.
“The way she gives you little clues about a character and what they might be thinking is so interesting. I found that a really rich tapestry to help me work out some of the motivations, especially in those first episodes where Kate Miskin isn’t as present in the story.
“It’s nice to have a bit more detail about that, who she might be, and what her motivations might be, so I did go back and read them.”
Given the time period, her character being a DS as well as a woman of colour adds an interesting dynamic to the story.
With shows like “Grantchester”, “Midsomer Murders”, “Silent Witness and “Doctors” under her belt, Peers responded: “It was definitely a challenging thing to do, and a brave thing to do to enter a traditionally masculine sphere at that time and knowing full well that it won’t be the easiest thing to do, and still doing it anyway, which is amazing.
“I read quite a few books and watched documentaries about the ’70s, and women in the police in the ’70s, and it sounds like hard work.
“There’s a great book, ‘A Girl in Blue’, about a young female officer, and I found that really insightful in terms of how much they had to battle with, even to the A-line skirt that they had to wear, and not getting the same truncheon as the male police officers, and things like that, but were just lovely details that you think: ‘Oh my goodness, how did they manage to do such a good job?’
“I also watched ‘Life on Mars’, as they were quite a few police officers interviewed who said ‘Life on Mars’ was actually very accurate.”
She continued: “She kind of just ploughs on. She’s trying very much to find her feet in this world, and I think she probably would react differently in different situations because she doesn’t know how to deal with it exactly.
“But it seems, at present, she’s in this frame of mind of: ‘I just want to do a good job, and I’m not going to let anything get in the way of that. She does tend to face things head-on but also does not cause too much trouble when she feels that she can’t.
“She’s a little trapped, but she’s also fortunate enough to come across Dalgleish, who is prepared to give her a chance.
In the show, there’s a bit of rivalry between Miskin and Masterson.
She explained: “He wasn’t expecting a new person to come into the department and certainly not a woman, and certainly not a person of colour, and as a combo, I think he just doesn't like it all.
“So, there’s definitely a sense of competition, rivalry and one-upmanship from him that Kate has to deal with, as well as all the other stuff.
If you are a fan of shows like “Vera”, “Father Brown” and “Endeavour”, you will enjoy this.
“Dalgliesh” will be available for streaming on BritBox from July 21.