Downton Abbey star’s ‘brilliant’ crime drama The Marlow Murder Club is your March binge-watch

Looking for the ultimate cosy crime show to binge-watch this month? The hit murder mystery series, The Marlow Murder Club, is returning with its anticipated third season in March, and you might want to put it on your watchlist. 

The popular series, based on the crime novel series by Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, is set in the idyllic Buckinghamshire town of Marlow and follows retired archaeologist Judith Potts (Samantha Bond), dog walker Suzie Harris (Jo Martin), and vicar’s wife Becks Starling (Cara Horgan) as they tackle a string of puzzling murder mysteries.

With an impressive score of 83 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, The Marlow Murder Club has become a favourite of the cosy crime genre. With gripping mysteries and an outstanding cast of main and guest stars, this comedy-drama is a joy to watch. 

Check out the trailer for season three below…

What to expect from season three

The new six-part series promises a fresh set of intriguing mysteries for our main trio of amateur sleuths to tackle.

The synopsis reads: “From the sudden death of the town’s beloved mayor – the nicest man in Marlow – to a celebrity chef found dead at the launch of his cookbook with half the town in attendance, the team will be working under the watchful eye of the Marlow community.

“They’ll also be called to action at a university reunion in an eerie manor house where, in a surprising twist, Becks finds herself amongst the suspects. Could this case threaten our amateur sleuths’ roles as civilian advisors?”

Who stars in season three? 

Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey), Cara Horgan (The Sandman) and Jo Martin (Missing You) will, of course, reprise their roles as Judith, Suzie and Becks. 

© UKTV/Robbie Gray

An impressive list of guest stars have joined the show for its third outing, including Nigel Harman (Eastenders, Downton Abbey), who takes on the role of Marcus, Peter Davison (The Gold, Gentleman Jack) as Geoffrey, Jacqueline Boatswain (After the Flood, Carnival Row) as Debbie, Sarah Alexander (Art Detectives, Jonathan Creek) as Sophia, Tony Gardner (The Larkins, Last Tango in Halifax) as Terrence and Jason Merrells (Waterloo Road, Happy Valley) as Paul.

Meanwhile, comedy icon Harry Enfield plays Hector, alongside Cherie Lunghi (Strike, Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Adrian Lukis (SAS Rogue Heroes, Joy) and Alastair Mackenzie (Andor, The Crown) as Marian, Matthew and Ferdy, respectively.

© UKTV/Robbie Gray

Reprising their roles alongside the main trio are Natalie Dew as DI Tanika Malik, Hugh Quarshie as Professor Darius Gifford, Phill Langhorne as DC Brendan Perry, Holli Dempsey as DC Alice Hackett and Tijan Sarr as DC Jason Kennedy.

What have viewers said about the show?

The series has been hailed as “brilliant” and “thoroughly enjoyable” by viewers. 

One person wrote on X: “Enjoyed #TheMarlowMurderClub immensely. It has everything – great plot, excellent cast, beautiful river location, gorgeous houses, an adorable cat and a very good dog.”

© UKTV

A second fan compared the drama to Robert Thorogood’s book series, writing: “Really enjoying #themarlowmurderclub on the Drama channel. Great adaptation of the excellent book.”

The Marlow Murder Club arrives on U&Drama on Wednesday 18 March 2026.