Release Date
Wednesday 24th September at 8pm on U&Alibi
The new series will premiere exclusively on UKTV’s specialist crime drama channel, Alibi
before launching later on the BBC and iPlayer. Series one to four are available on BBC iPlayer.
Plot
Ep 1 – Such a Mad Marriage Never Was Before
By Rebecca Ramsden
Shakespeare & Hathaway are forced to reunite when they take on the case of a married couple in
strife.
Social Media Influencers Rina (Christine Bottomley) and Preston Shrewsbury (Andrew Knott) are
about to complete their home renovation and unveil it to the world before they can finally admit
they hate each other and divorce. It’s been a trying time for their Social Media Manager, Curtis
Minoff (Jake Kenny-Byrne) who is caught in the middle and weary neighbour Mr Gremio (Derek
Griffiths). Preston thinks Rina is having an affair with Handyman Nathanial Tensio (Jack Trueman),
while Rina is convinced Preston keeps trying to sabotage her. Fortunately for them Stratford’s top
Private Investigators are no longer working together and so while Preston engages Frank (Mark
Benton), Rina hires Lu (Jo Joyner). But what has happened to our beloved team and why is Sebastian
(Patrick Walshe McBride) so exhausted? Tensions rise on all sides and when Nathanial is found dead
in the kitchen, Preston is arrested for murder by DS Keeler (Tomos Eames). Can Frank and Lu work
together to find the killer before they strike again?
Ep 2 – The Heavenly Harness’d Team
By Rebecca Ramsden
Frank, Lu and Sebastian go undercover at a remote team building centre in order to root out a
corporate spy.
With a newly reunited Frank (Mark Benton) and Lu (Jo Joyner) bickering, it’s perfect timing when
they are hired to go undercover at a remote team building centre run by the well-meaning Roz
Shepherd (Poppy Lee Friar). CEO Rick Young (Nick Helm) is convinced that his Head of Design,
Jacques Du Bois (Simeon Oakes) is trying to steal the details of an important new contract and hopes
they can catch him in the act. But when Rick is electrocuted during a trust fall exercise and Frank
finds evidence that he was murdered, everyone becomes a suspect. With no power or phone signal
Sebastian (Patrick Walshe McBride) heads bravely into the wilderness to seek help, while Frank and
Lu determine to put aside their differences and identify the killer before DS Keeler (Tomos Eames)
arrives. Could it be the surly and agitated Head of Manufacturing Sly Forrester (Edward Rowe), Rick’s
nervous and put upon Secretary Aleena Oliver (Nimmi Harasgama) or of course, secretive and
intense Jacques?
Ep 3 – Destruction, Blood, and Massacre
By Afsaneh Gray
When Frank receives an invitation to a Murder Mystery Party, the team find themselves trapped
with a killer in their midst.
A curious Lu (Jo Joyner) offers to drive when Frank (Mark Benton) is invited to a murder mystery
themed school reunion by the local king of plumbing, Bill White (Guy Henry), the husband of Frank’s
childhood sweetheart and legendary casting director, Olivia Bluebell (Ronni Ancona). Desperate to
meet Olivia, Sebastian (Patrick Walshe McBride) refuses to be left behind so the team arrive at Bill
and Olivia’s remote country manor in the middle of a raging storm. Also at the reunion are local
politician, Hannah Volumnia (Dido Miles), solicitor Eugene Bottom (Raymond Coulthard) and Bill’s
oldest friend and right-hand man at the company, Paul Belch (Roger Griffiths). But as accusations run
riot and secrets, both old and new are brought to the surface, Bill suddenly drops dead at the dinner
table – and he’s not pretending. As the storm knocks out communication, the group find themselves
trapped within a real-life murder mystery game. Can they identify the killer before they strike once
more?
Ep4 – A Dark House
By Helen Farrall
When Lu’s house is stolen, Spider and the team uncover a cruel scam which soon leads to murder.
Lu (Jo Joyner) arrives home from an exhausting trip to the Australian Outback, to find that a stranger
is living in her house – and Celia Touchstone (Fiona Button) seems to legally own it! While Lu
struggles to deal with her loss, Frank (Mark Benton) invites her to stay at his flat, but fails to warn
her about his pet rat Jimmy – and Lu thought she’d seen enough of critters in the Bush! Frank and Lu
follow the trail to Solicitor Oliver Silvius (Michael Higgs) and Estate Agent Freddie Duke (Matt Di
Angelo). Meanwhile Spider (Darren Evans) tries to follow the money online and Sebastian (Patrick
Walshe McBride) tracks down another victim, Audrey Martext (Jan Pearson). Surveillance on Oliver
soon leads them to a mystery woman, Phoebe Amiens (Emily Head), but who is she and how is she
connected? But when they find Oliver murdered, DS Keeler (Tomos Eames) steps in and Lu starts to
fear that her home, and all her belongings, are lost for evermore.
Ep5 – The Endeavour of this Present Breath
By Matt Cooke and Vince Lund
Frank is delighted when the manager of Avon FC hires them to find a saboteur, until events take a
deadly turn.
A saboteur at Avon FC is throwing the players off their game and so manager Sam Albany (Steven
Hartley) hires the team to find the culprit. Frank (Mark Benton) wastes no time in slipping into the
role of Assistant Coach with Sebastian (Patrick Walshe McBride) by his side, while Lu (Jo Joyner)
poses as a magazine photo-journalist. With a win in the final game of the season meaning
promotion, the stakes are higher than ever. Team Captain Kyle Kabir (Nathan Graham) seems
particularly upset, but he’s not as vocal as Leah Grace (Amy-Leigh Hickman), team sponsor and Kyle’s
glamourous girlfriend. Meanwhile owner Dan Kressick (James Sheldon) appears to be out of his
depth and rival Manager Howard Harvey (Ben Jones) keeps turning up to cause trouble. But when
Sam is found strangled, the gang must curb their enthusiasm for the glamorous world of semi-pro
football and find the killer before it’s too late.
Ep 6 – As I Have Seen a Swan
By Lou Ramsden
Shakespeare & Hathaway are hired to unmask Stratford’s very own Superhero, ‘The Swan’.
When Stratford is beset by a youth crime wave, out of the darkness comes ‘The Swan’, the
Superhero everyone needs. But when The Swan accidentally ruins a surveillance operation, Frank
(Mark Benton) is delighted when Lu (Jo Joyner) spots that there’s a reward for his unmasking. Comic
fan Thea Williams (Rosie Dwyer), dreams of being The Swan’s love interest and directs Frank and Lu
to her local comic store to meet others who have been helped. There’s clearly a connection to be
found – owner Vernon McMorris (Spencer Jones) is being harangued by pushy local journalist, April
Le Fer (Dani Dupont), who thinks he’s The Swan. While Vernon’s tired son Zak McMorris (Hugo
Papiernik) and local courier, Mortimer Blunt (Joshua Lewis) are both superhero fans who could fit
the bill. But when April is found murdered and Frank and Lu see The Swan fleeing the scene, DS
Keeler (Tomos Eames) is also on the hunt.
Ep 7 – An Honest Fellow
By Asher Pirie
DS Keeler becomes Shakespeare & Hathaway’s most unlikely and reluctant client when he finds
himself the victim of blackmail.
Frank (Mark Benton) and Lu (Jo Joyner) are astonished when their least favourite police officer, DS
Keeler (Tomos Eames) turns up looking for help. Keeler has no memory of the night before but is
being blackmailed with a photo of him in bed with a complete stranger. Disguising their voice, the
blackmailer calling themselves Dr Ekeles, issues instructions via a burner phone and Keeler must do
as they say or else his wife, Emma (Susannah Fielding), will be told everything. Instructed not to go
to his colleagues, Keeler is desperate – can they help? So as Frank sets off with Keeler to follow Dr
Ekeles instructions, assisted by local cab driver Irene (Tanya Franks), Lu and Sebastian (Patrick
Walshe McBride) follow the trail of the mysterious woman, Molly Essington (Jodi Broome). But who
is following Frank and Keeler, how does hotel porter Warwick Samms (Zak Douglas) fit in and what
on earth is Billy the Brick (Ciaran Griffiths) up to?
Ep 8 – Be Not Afraid of Greatness
By Rebecca Ramsden
Lu is delighted when they’re hired by a local TV Shopping Studio, but events soon take a deadly turn
live on air.
TV Shopping Studio owner Andrew Cheek (Fraser James) is stressed – his star presenter Valentina
Orsino (Laila Rouass) is being humiliated on screen by a mischievous saboteur and he needs Frank
(Mark Benton) and Lu (Jo Joyner) to find the culprit, fast. At the studio the team meet Valentina and
her over-tanned co-presenter husband Tony Orsino (Justin Edwards), bubbly junior presenter Maria
Squires (Jahannah James), and mousy product expert Jane Folle (Kacey Ainsworth). But they soon
discover that Valentina is not as well loved as they thought and when she dies of anaphylactic shock
live on air DS Keeler (Tomos Eames) zeroes in on Maria. With the channel’s 20th Anniversary
Celebrations underway, can the team root out the killer and save the studio? Meanwhile Sebastian
(Patrick Walshe McBride) finds himself facing his biggest undercover role yet and is ready to impress.
Ep 9 – Daggers of the Mind
By Tom Ogden
Shakespeare & Hathaway investigate when an acclaimed horror movie director is terrorised by one
of his own creations.
Acclaimed horror movie director, Reynard Lennox (Colin Baker), is being terrorised by his own
creations and his daughter Imogen Lennox (Allegra Marland) doesn’t know if her father is losing his
mind or is the victim of a cruel campaign. It seems that due to Reynard’s famously controlling and
cruel character, there’s no shortage of people who would wish him ill. With the Horror-Upon-Avon
Convention doing a retrospective of Reynard’s work, Lu (Jo Joyner) is bemused by Frank’s (Mark
Benton) excitement to visit and the team meet convention organiser Mandir Choudhury (Amerjit
Deu), special effects expert James Colvy (Ben Freeman) and to Sebastian’s delight, one of Reynard’s
ex-wives, actress Portia Frost (Sarah Douglas). But when Reynard is stabbed to death, seemingly by a
character from one of his movies, events take a sinister turn. DS Keeler (Tomos Eames) is on the case
but can the team find the real culprit before they end up starring in a horror movie of their own?
Meanwhile, with Sebastian’s promotion, new Receptionist Regan Kernow (Saffron Davies) is taken
on for a trial – but will she impress?
Ep 10 – Such Sweet Sorrow
By Dan Muirden
Frank and Lu are hired to play a couple at a Hypnobirthing Class while a previous misdemeanour
comes back to bite them.
With the anniversary of their ex-cleaner Queenie’s tragic death, old wounds are brought to the
surface for Frank (Mark Benton) and Lu (Jo Joyner) while Sebastian (Patrick Walshe McBride) is
feeling the pressure of stepping up. So there’s tension when Frank and Lu go undercover as a
pregnant couple to infiltrate a Hypnobirthing class run by Jennifer Adams (Kaye Wragg). Busy CEO
Charlie Alexander (Jason Durr) suspects that his young wife Milly Alexander (Katie Eldred) is having
an affair with his handsome Reputation Manager Trent Jacobson (Christian Rubeck). Trent is
attending the class in his stead, and Charlie is prepared to pay very well to find out the truth. But
when Trent is found bludgeoned to death and Charlie increases his offer to find the killer, the
pressure is on and even Regan (Saffron Davies) is feeling it. While mistakes are made and conflict
brews more than the tea, can the team pull together to find the killer before DS Keeler (Tomos
Eames), and can Frank and Lu finally deal with what happened to Queenie?
Cast
Ep1: Christine Bottomley, Andrew Knott, Jake Kenny-Byrne, Derek Griffiths, Jack Trueman
Ep2: Nick Helm, Poppy Lee Friar, Nimmi Harasgama, Simeon Oakes, Edward Rowe
Ep3: Guy Henry, Ronni Ancona, Roger Griffiths, Dido Miles, Raymond Coulthard
Ep4: Darren Evans, Fiona Button, Matt Di Angelo, Michael Higgs, Jan Pearson, Emily Head
Ep5: Steven Hartley, Nathan Graham, Amy Leigh-Hickman, James Sheldon, Ben Jones
Ep6: Rosie Dwyer, Spencer Jones, Hugo Papiernik, Joshua Lewis, Dani Dupont
Ep7: Ciarán Griffiths, Susannah Fielding, Tanya Franks, Zak Douglas, Jodi Broome
Ep8: Laila Rouass, Jahannah James, Justin Edwards, Kacey Ainsworth, Fraser James
Ep9: Saffron Davies, Colin Baker, Allegra Marland, Sarah Douglas, Ben Freeman, Amerjit Deu
Ep10: Jason Durr, Katie Eldred, Kaye Wragg, Christian Rubeck, Saffron Davies
Is there a trailer?
Not Yet
More Info and Interviews
Jo Joyner
How do you feel about being back for a fifth series?
I’m really thrilled that Shakespeare & Hathaway is back for a fifth series, because it’s a show that’s really close to my heart. I’m really fond of Luella, I think she’s such a great, positive character and she’s always got a smiley, positive take on stuff. I love her clothes and jewellery because it’s stuff I would never wear and that makes it even more fun for me. I also really love the relationships in the show, so it’s just it’s just lovely for us to come back and revisit them.
What can you tell us about what Luella, Frank and the gang are up to this series?
We’ve got a lot of different things this series, we really go from one extreme to the other. We’ve got a horror convention, we’re at a football club, and there’s an episode that is a bit of a murder mystery
within a murder mystery, so there’s all sorts going on! The themes are bigger and better than ever this year and the costume, makeup and design teams have done an amazing job. Lu and Frank dress up and go undercover a bit more, which has been really good fun.
I think this series is the best yet. It’s funnier than ever before, there’s more undercover japes, and we’ve got just as many mysteries; I think we might even have a little bit more murder!
Can you tell us a little bit about the disguises you’ve been in this series and what it was like to be dressed up? Do you have a favourite disguise?
So we’re used to Sebastian going undercover, but this series we’ve got a few more disguises for Frank and Lu, which has been really good fun. It turns out I’m quite a wig girl, I love a wig! My favourite disguise has to be when Lu goes undercover as a makeup artist. We were channelling our Charlotte Tilbury with some big red hair and I really loved wearing that wig; I took it home I loved it so much! There’s an episode involving paintballing where I had a disguise that was a little bit more rock chick, which was good fun, Frank had a lot of tattoos and was channelling his inner rockstar, he looked hilarious! So it’s been good fun!
What do you enjoy most about playing Luella?
The thing I enjoy most about playing Luella is her wardrobe. I’ve discovered there is actually a term for her style, she’s a ‘dopamine dresser’, which means if it makes her smile then she wears it. I would never be brave enough to wear all the bright colours and things Lu wears, because I wouldn’t want to stand out as much, so I really enjoy playing that part of her.
What do you enjoy about filming in the Midlands? What was your favourite location in the series?
I love filming in the Midlands, mainly because I live here, but also because it’s just so beautiful around here. The countryside is so lovely and I’m a country girl at heart, so I loved that. We filmed the series in some great locations, including some big, beautiful manor houses and at The Other Place at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, but I think my favourite place to film is always by the River Avon because you’re really in Stratford-upon-Avon then and it’s so beautiful – and the swans always come for a little visit, day or night!
Do you have a favourite episode in this series?
One of my favourite episodes is the Comic Strip one because it’s got so many elements that you’re going to love if you are a comic nerd, and I love the whole vigilante idea when there’s actually a good guy running around Stratford trying to make it as quaint and lovely as it’s always been. We’ve also got an episode centred around a shopping channel, which is another one of my favourites, particularly the part when the people get caught live on air!
What was the reaction from fans when this series was announced?
We had such a great reaction from the viewers; we have the best fans. I’ve never had so many messages in my DMs from people daily asking me when it was coming back, more than any other show I’ve ever been in. So to be able to come back to those people again has been really lovely!
I think it’s because people have fallen in love with the characters as much as we have. It’s a great family watch too, you can be 7 or 70 and sit down and watch it together, and there’s not a lot nowadays that you can do that with.
How Has Frank and Luella’s partnership developed over the years?
It has developed very organically over the years. I always say they’re a bit like a married couple that have been together 35 years. There is a yin and yang, frustration and annoyance with them, but along the way they’ve grown a real fondness for each other. They really do rely on each other and they’re like each other’s family now. In fact everybody in that office is, with Sebastian as well, they’re
one little family unit. Along with that comes a lot of love and laughs and then a lot of annoyance and some tantrums too; like any good family!
Could you see yourself being friends with Lu, Frank or Sebastian?
I think I would be friends with Sebastian first and foremost, because he would be interesting and fun and spontaneous. And he’s an actor so we’ve already got a lot in common. I would definitely love having a drink with Luella, but I think maybe Luella is probably a bit good and well behaved for real life me. I think I would like Frank, I would respect how loyal and solid he is. He’s a kind of dependable guy, even if he’s a bit dour.
Where do we find the characters at the beginning of the series?
When we come back to this series, Lou and Frank have not been working together for two years. They have been in separate offices; Luella has a very fancy one by the river, a lot more modern and clean and frilly. They’ve both been rubbing along, but possibly not as happily and successfully as when they’re actually together. They had a big row and a falling out, and it was just one too many disagreements, so Luella left. But there’s a story arc for the whole series, they do work together and by the end of the series, we come to a resolution on the row that initially sparked the fallout.
What makes Luella and Frank such a great crime solving team?
I think it’s how different they are, their differences are their strengths. They’re totally yin and yang, whatever the opposite is, they do it. So when they’re cracking a case, Lu has different ways of getting information and Frank has his expertise from the police, and when you bring all that together it makes a perfect combination!