7.094 minSeason 1 • Episode 3
LatestWealthy businessman, Ray, and his dynamic wife Gloria, have sponsored Dennis Pride to play a gig in Bakerbury. Meanwhile, Cora is distracted by love, as she's wooed by a charming suitor, Gilbert. When Sherry says he seems too good to be true, it causes a rift between the women but plants a seed of doubt in Cora's mind.
Based on the books by Parnell Hall, The series sees Cora, who recently moved to the sleepy English town of Bakerbury with her niece, asked to help the local police with a strange murder where a crossword puzzle is left on the body.
Acting
Phyllis Logan weaponizes 'harmless old lady' energy to devastating effect.
Writing
Puzzle clues that actually work—rare for mystery shows.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Parnell Hall's 20-book series never revealed Cora's actual crossword skill level—deliberate ambiguity the show preserves.
Bakerbury's pub murder location mirrors real Hampshire village killings that sparked UK's 1920s 'crossword panic' about puzzles corrupting youth.
GB
