Two's COMPANY...

KATE PHILLIPS and STUART MARTIN on why three's a crowd for their sleuths in Victorian London

- IAN MACEWAN

MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE
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The ‘will they, won’t they?’ relationship between whip-smart private investigator Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) and London detective William ‘Duke’ Wellington (Stuart Martin) seems to be veering towards the positive, as Alibi’s Victorian-era mystery drama Miss Scarlet and the Duke returns for a third outing.

As well as meeting up for regular dinner dates, the pair get to pose as a couple – strictly in the line of duty, of course, but giving fans a taste of what it might be like if they really did become an item.

However, the course of true love – especially in TV shows – never did run smooth, and it’s not long before a cloud appears on the horizon: Eliza’s childhood nemesis, Arabella Acaster (Sophie Robertson), a restaurant owner who develops a mutual attraction with Duke.

TV Times caught up with Stuart, 37, and Kate, 33, for an exclusive interview to find out more about the six-part run…

Are Eliza and Duke any closer to being more than friends as we rejoin them? 

STUART They are edging closer to where some of us want them to go! They can’t deny they’ve grown close but, as we come into series three, no one’s quite saying it out loud! But we will delve into that side of things.

For instance, when they go undercover posing as a couple shopping for a wedding ring?!