MURDER by the book

TIM MCMULLAN on reuniting with Lesley Manville for another time-hopping whodunnit

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The 2022 crime drama Magpie Murders introduced us to modern-day book editor Susan Ryeland (Sherwood’s Lesley Manville) and fictional 1950s detective Atticus Pünd (Tim McMullan), the creation of author Alan Conway (Conleth Hill), as their paths crossed in a double murder mystery spanning two timelines.

The unlikely partners in crime-solving are back on the case in BBC1’s six-part follow-up series Moonflower Murders, in which Susan is approached to find a missing woman. Her disappearance appears to be linked to another of Alan’s 1950s- set stories, this time about Atticus’ investigation into foul play at a fancy hotel owned by Hollywood actor Melissa James (Rosalie Craig), which plays out on screen alongside Susan’s contemporary storyline.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Tim, 61, tells TV Times what’s in store for the chalk-and-cheese sleuths in the new story, adapted by Foyle’s War creator Anthony Horowitz from his own book...

Tim, can you set the scene for us at the start of Moonflower Murders?