Wednesday Trivia Question

Where did the Duke go on MISS SCARLET & THE DUKE?

MISS SCARLET & THE DUKE premiered on MASTERPIECE in January 2021 and ran for four seasons (more on that in a moment). It starred Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin in the title roles. Miss Scarlet is Eliza Scarlet, an ambitious Victorian Era private detective, and the Duke is police detective inspector William “Duke” Wellington of the Metropolitan Police.

As she struggles to make a name for herself, Eliza makes allies and earns respect from the men in charge. And she and the Duke seem to be growing closer. In fact, a romance appeared to be the natural course of action. So when William confessed his love to Miss Scarlet, he also announced plans to leave. Which he does. And he did not come back.

In fact, the fifth series (which we hope will air sometime next year) is called simply MISS SCARLET. No Duke. So whether the actor left or the character was just written out, it appears as though Miss Scarlet and the Duke are not destined to be together.

The question remains: what happened to William Wellington? Where did the Duke go on MISS SCARLET & THE DUKE?

Where Do I Know That Actor?

Fans of smart British drama know that Sunday nights belong to MASTERPIECE MYSTERY. We’ve covered MAGPIE MURDERS and ANNIKA, the newest series to grace the brand, so let’s have a look at MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE. The second season is three episodes in and keen-eyed viewers may have spied some familiar faces amongst the cast. Let see…

Kate Phillips stars as plucky Victorian-era detective Eliza Scarlet. She has also been seen as Tillie Zeigler in My Mother And Other Strangers and as Jane Seymour in Wolf Hall.

Stuart Martin also stars as William “The Duke” Wellington, a gruff Scotland Yard DI who begrudgingly aids Eliza. Martin will best be known to Jamestown viewers as middle Sharrow brother Silas.

Cathy Belton plays Ivy, servant to the Scarlet household. She appeared as Mrs. Hartright in The Woman in White.

Ian Pirie is Wellington’s new boss, Chief Superintendent Fergus Munro. He was recently seen as Sandy in series two of Guilt.

Ansu Kabia plays Moses, a criminal turned associate of Eliza’s. He was James Richards in The Long Song and Eddie Knight in World On Fire.

Lastly, Simon Ludders portrays mortuary clerk Mr. Potts. He appeared in series one of Broadchurch as Trevor Smith.

Got a face you can’t place from one of the plethora of programs PBS NC airs from the UK? Email me at sparkymac@pbsnc.org and I’ll try to help out.

Sounds Familiar

“William, I know we’re in competition but when all is said and done we are on the same side – the side of the law.” – Miss Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) to Detective Inspector William Wellington (Stuart Martin), MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE on MASTERPIECE

Where Do I Know That Actor?

Fans of smart British drama no doubt caught series one of MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE, the newest addition to the MASTERPIECE MYSTERY pantheon. The season finale aired Sunday night on PBS NC (repeating Saturday morning at 2am) and series two has been commissioned (filming was postponed due to COVID-19). There were, of course, a few familiar faces worth mentioning, several who have been seen on other Masterpiece offerings.

Kate Phillips starred as plucky Victorian-era detective Eliza Scarlet. She has also been seen as Tillie Zeigler in My Mother And Other Strangers and as Jane Seymour in Wolf Hall.

Stuart Martin also starred as William “The Duke” Wellington, a gruff Scotland Yard DI who begrudgingly aids Eliza. Martin will best be known to Jamestown viewers as middle Sharrow brother Silas.