Moonflower Murders on BBC One: Plot, episodes, and cast of Magpie Murders sequel
By Helen Fear | Wed Nov 13 2024Moonflower Murders sees the very welcome return of Lesley Manville's amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland, in the sequel to Magpie Murders on BBC One.
Let's be frank, Lesley is always immensely watchable in anything she does, whether it's Sherwood or a film like The Critic. But combine her performance with a murder mystery and we're totally sold.
The detective drama catches up with Susan after the events of Magpie Murders, and she is living a very different life in Crete.
However, her new life is disturbed by a baffling unsolved murder from the past. And she must uncover the secret hidden in plain sight...
Here's everything you need to know about Moonflower Murders on BBC One and iPlayer, including plot, cast, and start date.
Is Moonflower Murders a sequel to Magpie Murders?
Moonflower Murders is indeed a sequel to the series Magpie Murders, which first aired in 2022.
In Magpie Murders, we met publishing editor Susan Ryeland for the first time when she received Alan Conway's unfinished manuscript of an Atticus Pünd mystery - and got drawn into a web of intrigue and murder.
Now she's back in this 2024 sequel. The Magpie Murders book series is written by acclaimed author Anthony Horowitz. He's written more than 50 books, including the bestselling teen spy series Alex Rider.
What is the plot of Moonflower Murders?
In Moonflower Murders, Susan has left publishing behind and is now running a hotel in Crete with her long-time boyfriend, Andreas.
However, it's not as idyllic as it sounds and Susan eagerly takes up the chance to solve the puzzle of a missing woman whose parents have flown over from England. They insist that the answer to her disappearance is hidden away in one of Alan Conway's books.
Susan investigates a murder committed at a British country hotel eight years ago. At that time, author Alan Conway visited the hotel and wrote a novel based on what happened there. Cecily Treherne, the young woman who helps run the hotel, read the book and believed the wrong man had been arrested. Now she has disappeared...
Susan must return to London in an attempt to uncover the secret hidden in the book. Can she find Cecily before it's too late?
Is Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders based on a book?
The TV series Magpie Murders is based on the 2016 mystery novel by British author Anthony Horowitz. It's the first novel in the Susan Ryeland series.
The story focuses on the murder of a mystery author and uses a story within a story format.
Moonflower Murders is based on the second novel in the Susan Ryeland series, which was published in 2020.
Is there a series 3 of Magpie Murders?
Although the Beeb has not yet confirmed a series 3 of Magpie Murders and its subsequent spin-offs, there is a third novel coming soon.
The third in the Susan Ryeland books, Marble Hall Murders, is due to be published in 2025. That means it's more than likely that a TV adaptation will follow shortly afterwards. Watch this space for more news.
Who is in the cast of Moonflower Murders?
Lesley Manville, 68, portrays Susan Ryeland in the cast of Moonflower Murders on BBC One and iPlayer. The Brighton-born actress has been on our screens for 50 years, and is known for her film collaborations with Mike Leigh. She's also famous for her TV roles in Emmerdale, Cranford, Mum, World on Fire, Citadel, and Harlots.
More recently, she starred as Julie Jackson in Sherwood series 1 and 2, and Nurse Redd in Ryan Murphy's Grotesquerie.
Actor Tim McMullan plays Atticus Pünd in the cast. Tim, 61, is known for his role in films - including Shakespeare in Love, The Queen, and Enola Holmes 2. He also starred as Arthur Valentine in the TV series Foyle's War, and Douglas Cartwright in The Serpent.
Northern Irish actor Conleth Hill, 59, stars as Alan Conway. Of course, he's probably best known for playing Lord Varys in Game of Thrones. He also played Superintendent O'Kelly in Dublin Murders, and Sgt PJ Collins in Holding.
Daniel Mays, 46, stars as Inspector Chubb and DS Locke. He's known for his roles in Line of Duty, The Long Shadow, Code 404, Temple, and Des.
Who else stars in the BBC murder mystery?
The Island's Alexandros Logothetis stars as Andreas Patakis.
Mary & George's Adrian Rawlins is Lawrence Treherne/Lance Gardner.
The Larkins' Pooky Quesnel is Pauline Treherne/Maureen Gardner.
Humans' Will Tudor is Aiden MacNeil/Algernon Marsh.
Gangs of London's Pippa Bennett-Warner is Madeline Cain.
The Serpent Queen's Rosalie Craig is Lisa Treherne/Melissa James.
Rivals' Claire Rushbrook portrays Lesley Manville's sister Katie Williams for the second time. They also played siblings in Sherwood.
Funny Woman's Matthew Beard stars as James Taylor.
River City's Sanjeev Kohli is Sajid Khan.
League of Gentleman's Mark Gatiss joins the cast as Frank Parris/Oscar Berlin.
Where can I watch Moonflower Murders season 1?
Moonflower Murders starts with a double bill at 9:15pm and 10:20pm on Saturday, November 16, 2024 on BBC One.
It will follow every Saturday for three weeks in total.
How many episodes is Moonflower Murders?
The murder mystery series is six episodes in total. Each episode will be one hour long.
In episode 1, Susan agrees to solve the puzzle of a missing woman.
How can I watch Magpie Murders?
Magpie Murders is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer. The series has six episodes.
In the prequel to Moonflower Murders, we meet editor Susan Ryeland for the first time. She is eagerly awaiting the manuscript from Clover Books' number one best-selling author Alan Conway, whose hero Atticus Pünd regularly solves murder mysteries in the fictional village of Saxby on Avon.
However, Susan is subsequently drawn into her own mystery when she and her boss realise that the final chapter is missing and Conway is found dead in his shrubbery...
