Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators is a British cosy mystery comedy-drama television series co-created by Jude Tindall and Paul Matthew Thompson and produced by BBC Birmingham. Set in Stratford-upon-Avon, the series concerns a private detective agency run by Luella Shakespeare (Jo Joyner) and Frank Hathaway (Mark Benton) with the assistance of aspiring actor Sebastian Brudenell (Patrick Walshe McBride).
The first four series, including a Christmas special, aired on BBC One from 26 February 2018 to 16 December 2022. The fifth series was released on U&Alibi on 24 September 2025; the filming of a sixth series set to air in 2026 was confirmed on 16 October 2025.
Plot Ex-detective inspector (DI) Frank Hathaway, now a debt-laden private investigator, meets Luella Shakespeare when she employs him to investigate the fiancé she met online. Hathaway and his assistant Sebastian Brudenell discover that the fiancé is a con man. They report back to Luella, but she is reassured by her fiancé, and the wedding goes ahead. When her new husband is killed at the reception, Luella is suspected of murder by local DI Christina Marlowe, who had been Frank's junior.
Luella is thrown together with Frank and Sebastian to crack the mystery of what has happened. After her name is cleared, she uses her recovered savings (and her late husband's estate) to buy into Frank's business; she effectively becomes Frank's partner in order to save him from the bailiffs. Their only employee, Sebastian Brudenell, is a young aspiring RADA-trained actor who uses his skills when undercover investigations are required. He lives above a theatre costumier run by Gloria Fonteyn.
Cast Jo Joyner as Luella Shakespeare Mark Benton as Frank Hathaway Patrick Walshe McBride as Sebastian Brudenell Amber Aga as Detective Inspector Christina Marlowe (series 1–2) Tomos Eames as Detective Sergeant Joseph Keeler Roberta Taylor as Gloria Fonteyn (series 1–3) Yasmin Kaur Barn as Police Constable Viola Deacon (series 3–4) Aruhan Galieva as Bea Gardiner (series 6)
Episodes
Series overview
Series 1 (2018)
Series 2 (2019)
Series 3 (2020)
Series 4 (2022)
Series 5 (2025)
Series 6 (2026)
International broadcast In Australia, the first series began airing on ABC on 8 June 2018, and on 9Gem on 2024. In Italy, the series began airing on RAI 2 on 4 August 2019. In Germany, series 1 started on 5 April 2019 on ZDFneo, with series 2 following from 12 June 2020 onwards, also on ZDFneo. In the United States, the first series began airing on PBS on 12 January 2019, with the subsequent series being run and rerun on various PBS stations; the fourth series was exclusively released on BritBox on 19 April 2022, then aired on PBS stations later in 2022. The series has also begun broadcasting in the Republic of Ireland via RTÉ One.
Home media Series / Special UK release date Notes Series 1 23 April 2018 Disc One:Episode 1 – O Brave New WorldEpisode 2 – The Chimes at MidnightEpisode 3 – This Promised EndEpisode 4 – This Rough MagicDisc Two:Episode 5 – Toil and TroubleEpisode 6 – Exit, Pursued by a BearEpisode 7 – The Fairest Show Means Most DeceitDisc Three:Episode 8 – The Chameleon's DishEpisode 9 – The Rascal CookEpisode 10 – Ill Met by Moonlight Series 2 25 March 2019 Series 3 23 March 2020 Series 4 21 March 2022 Episodes 1–9 Christmas Special 13 November 2023 Originally the last episode of Series 4, but was kept back to become a Christmas Special airing on 16 December 2022 Series 5 1 December 2025
A Region B-locked Blu-ray of Series 1 was released in March 2019 and Series 2 was released on both DVD and Blu-ray in the UK in April 2019.
Series US release date Notes Series 1 March 5, 2019 Manufactured DVD Disc One:Episode 1 – O Brave New WorldEpisode 2 – The Chimes at MidnightEpisode 3 – This Promised EndEpisode 4 – This Rough MagicEpisode 5 – Toil and TroubleDisc Two:Episode 6 – Exit, Pursued by a BearEpisode 7 – The Fairest Show Means Most DeceitEpisode 8 – The Chameleon's DishEpisode 9 – The Rascal CookEpisode 10 – Ill Met by Moonlight Series 2 July 9, 2019 MOD DVD+r Disc One:Episodes 1 – 5Disc Two:Episodes 6 – 10 Series 3 November 17, 2020 MOD DVD+r Disc One:Episodes 1 – 5Disc Two:Episodes 6 – 10 Series 4 October 4, 2022 MOD DVD+r Disc One:Episodes 1 – 5Disc Two:Episodes 6 – 10Source:
Reception In a review of the first episode The Daily Telegraph called it "a nice, cosy drama" but found "plenty to dislike" about it, criticising in particular what it saw as an abundance of cliches, the character of Sebastian and the "crassness" of using the last names of William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, as the names of the detectives, and as the title of the series. The review stated, however, that daytime television, where the series airs in the UK, "is not really the place for complexity or grit". It also found that "the first episode of Shakespeare & Hathaway did at least set up two leading characters you'd want to see more of", and praised Benton and Joyner for their performances.
The Sunday Express found the programme "difficult to fault [...] well acted, nicely written—with decent jokes—and beautifully shot around Stratford". It compared the show favourably with other, grittier fare on offer in television drama schedules.
Reviewing the first episode of the second series in 2019, i newspaper praised the "easy chemistry" of Joyner and Benton, as well as "a strong supporting cast [that] includes nice turns from Roberta Taylor and Patrick Walshe McBride in particular". Overall, it says, "this is drama with the ham in the oven and turned up to ten. And yet somehow, it actually works". Paying special attention to the writing of creators Jude Tindall and Paul Matthew Thompson, it goes on to say that "the real appeal of this show lies in a gentle if arch charm, decent plots and a sense that if we're going to spend time in territory adjacent to Midsomer Murders, then you might as well have fun with it".
References
External links