A riddle to solve

Phyllis Logan stars as a chain-smoking, puzzle-cracking sleuth

- WORDS: LAURA CARRENO-MÜLLER

Phyllis Logan swaps manners for mischief in the deliciously offbeat new crime drama, Murder Most Puzzling. Best known for her refined roles as Downton Abbey's Mrs Hughes and Lovejoy's Lady Jane Felsham, the actress, 69, is throwing off the corset — and lighting a cigarette.

In this six-parter, Phyllis plays Cora Felton, a sharp-witted crossword queen with a wild streak.

"She's a wonderful breath of fresh air," Phyllis says. "I love the way she drinks Bloody Marys for breakfast and smokes like a demon. She’s nice enough, but she really doesn’t care. That's what I aspire to be — but not necessarily smoking and drinking vodka.”

Cora’s been married — and divorced — several times, but Phyllis found the chaos invigorating. “She has this colourful backdrop to her life,” she says, “Her marriages have all ended in divorce but she'll enter another one. She’s still a bit of a romantic. She hasn't turned into an old cynic.”

Living in a lavish home with her niece Sherry (Charlotte Hope), Cora finds herself an unlikely anchor for the younger woman after an abusive relationship. Their bond is complex, but loving.

“It’s sweet,” Phyllis says. “Even though Sherry gets very frustrated with Cora, they adore each other. Cora didn’t have kids, but she and her niece are a real family unit.

Cora just wants Sherry to get over her divorce.”