Series synopsis
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a British crime drama television series that premiered on BBC One on April 8, 2002. It ended on August 16, 2007. It was created by Elizabeth George. It stars Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Honeysuckle Weeks and James D'Arcy.
DS Barbara Havers is assigned to work with the upper-crust DI Thomas Lynley to solve murders.
Premise
DS Barbara Havers is assigned to work with the upper-crust DI Thomas Lynley to solve murders.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Nathaniel Parker as Inspector Thomas Lynley
- Sharon Small as Sergeant Barbara Havers
- Honeysuckle Weeks as Tania Thompson
- James D'Arcy as Guy Thompson
- Kate Miles as Kate Myers
- Nicholas Gecks as Mike Thompson
- Georgina Rylance as Julia Oborne
- Nicholas Farrell as Sam Oborne
Supporting cast
- Samantha Bond as Vivienne Oborne
- John Shrapnel as Sergent Mike McCaffrey
- Sam Cox as Greg Sullivan
- Michael Feast as Asst. Commissioner Evans
- Mark Bonnar as DC Ed Harvey
- Glynis Brooks as Marion Stein
- Shaun Parkes as DC Winston Nkata
- Samuel Barnett as Brian Byrne
- Paul Hickey as Lafferty
- Catherine Russell as Helen Lynley
Guest cast
- Cherie Lunghi as Sarah Gordon
- Phyllis Logan as Miriam Whitelaw
- Saeed Jaffrey as Akram Malik
- Peter Egan as Dr. Trenarrow
- Jodi Albert as Sally
- Indira Varma as Melissa Booth
- Blake Ritson as Graham Marshall
- Liza Tarbuck as DI Fiona Knight
- Timothy West as Andy Maiden
- Barbara Flynn as Maureen Finnegan
- David Calder as Richard Martin
- Jenny Agutter as Jemma Sanderson
Episodes
This series spans 7 seasons with 24 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 2 | March 12, 2001 | March 13, 2001 |
| Season 1 | 4 | April 8, 2002 | April 29, 2002 |
| Season 2 | 4 | March 10, 2003 | March 31, 2003 |
| Season 3 | 4 | March 4, 2004 | March 22, 2004 |
| Season 4 | 4 | March 17, 2005 | April 7, 2005 |
| Season 5 | 4 | July 18, 2006 | August 8, 2006 |
| Season 6 | 2 | August 9, 2007 | August 16, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A Great Deliverance (1) In the remote Yorkshire moors, a farmer's decapitated body is discovered in a field. DS Barbara Havers is partnered with Inspector Lynley to investigate the brutal murder. |
March 12, 2001 |
| 2 |
A Great Deliverance (2) Inspector Lynley and DS Havers continue their investigation into the Yorkshire farmhouse murder. |
March 13, 2001 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Well-Schooled in Murder Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Havers are drawn into the closed world of prestigious public school Bredgar Hall when a promising young pupil, Matthew Whateley, goes missing. |
April 8, 2002 |
| 2 |
Payment in Blood Lynley and Havers travel to the Highlands of Scotland, where an eminent playwright has been murdered. The suspects are glamorous stars of the film and theatre world, who have been rehearsing their new play in impresario Sir Stuart Stinhurst's remote country pile. |
April 15, 2002 |
| 3 |
For the Sake of Elena In the rarefied world of Cambridge, Lynley and Havers investigate the murder of Elena Weaver – a stunning young deaf student, bludgeoned to death on a morning run. When it emerges that she was pregnant, Elena's life seems to have been a mystery to even those closest to her. |
April 22, 2002 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Playing for the Ashes While investigating the death of star cricketer Kenneth Waring with DS Havers, DI Lynley delves into his complex personal life and is forced to break the rules. |
March 10, 2003 |
| 2 |
In the Presence of the Enemy The relationship between Lynley and Havers reaches its all-time low when they investigate a case of kidnapping and murder involving the secret child of a member of parliament and a newspaper editor. |
March 17, 2003 |
| 3 |
A Suitable Vengeance Lynley returns to his ancestral home in Cornwall to celebrate his engagement to Helen. His difficult relationship with his dysfunctional family is soon overshadowed by a murder on part of his own estate - and the chief suspect is Peter, Lynley's drug-addict brother. |
March 24, 2003 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner Two dead bodies are found in the middle of a stone circle. One of them was the daughter of a retired police officer who lives in a nearby village, while the other was a local artist. There is at first no clear connection between the two, but Havers finds an important clue which leads Lynley to the killer. |
March 4, 2004 |
| 2 |
A Traitor to Memory A famous violinist appearing at the Wigmore Hall, London, suddenly can't play any more, and away from the city centre a lonely woman is killed in a hit and run accident. Lynley and Havers try to find the connection between the musician and the death. To get at the truth, they need to dig deep into the past and also to put their careers on the line. |
March 11, 2004 |
| 3 |
A Cry for Justice A woman is found dead, and it looks as if she committed suicide. But Havers has doubts. The police investigation leads Lynley to a private club, while Havers goes undercover. The true motive for the death affects Lynley deeply. |
March 18, 2004 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
In Divine Proportion Havers gets back to work after being shot and is assigned to a case in rural Suffolk, where a young woman has been murdered with a shot gun. Lynley is worried about the effect the case will have on Havers. Then a photograph of the murdered woman arguing with a man is sent to the police, and a mysterious word is painted on the wall of the crime scene - it seems as if someone is trying to give the team some clues. As a result, they uncover a dark secret that villagers have kept quiet for years. In a final confrontation, Havers has to face down her fear of being back in the line of fire. |
March 17, 2005 |
| 2 |
In the Guise of Death Havers is on holiday in Cornwall, learning Akido, and Lynley is also in the county to visit his mother, when a local horse trainer is found hanged in a stable on the estate next to Lynley's. The dead man's money troubles suggest suicide, but then Lynley finds he had links with smuggling. Another lead suggests that the killer may be uncomfortably close to home. As the case develops, Lynley has to think out where his future lies - with the police, or managing his own property? |
March 24, 2005 |
| 3 |
The Seed of Cunning Lynley and Havers investigate the killing of a porter at the House of Lords. At first it looks as if the murder may be connected to the dead man's gambling debts, but then a senior clerk is also murdered, with evidence of a conspiracy involving stolen test reports on a new missile system. Havers traces the missing documents, but then she finds she and Lynley are both being followed... |
March 31, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Natural Causes Since Lynley's arrest and suspension for threatening a suspect, Havers has been without a partner. She begins a new case in Kent alongside the heavily pregnant, no-nonsense Detective Inspector Fiona Knight. Together, they investigate the murder of Edie Covington, whose body has been discovered in a local lake. |
July 18, 2006 |
| 2 |
One Guilty Deed When a key witness is murdered, Lynley and Havers find their case against violent criminal Michael Shand crumbling around them. |
July 25, 2006 |
| 3 |
Chinese Walls When aspiring lawyer Emily Proctor is found axed to death in Hyde Park, Lynley and Havers are drawn to the chambers of human rights lawyer Tony Wainwright and his clerk Hester Reed. Wainwright's passionate temper and a concealed affair with the victim seem to place him as the main suspect, but when Emily's double life is exposed, Lynley and Havers enter a world of internet porn and a family haunted by secrets. |
August 1, 2006 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Limbo Old wounds are reopened when Lynley investigates the disturbing death of his godson more than a decade after the boy's disappearance. Lynley is drawn into the case, leading him first to Rome and then headlong into the middle of a new murder enquiry in which Lynley himself becomes the prime suspect. Will Havers be able to save his skin? |
August 9, 2007 |
| 2 |
Know Thine Enemy Lynley and Havers's friendship is pushed to its limits in a high profile and chilling investigation into the disappearance of two teenage girls. Can Lynley save the life of the second victim and pin a murder charge on his suspects? |
August 16, 2007 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 8, 2002 |
| Last aired | August 16, 2007 |
| Runtime | 90 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Monday at 20:30:00 |