Masterpiece, Miss Scarlet and The Duke

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sunday, Aug. 14, from 1:30-9 PM

Before Marple and Tennison, there was Scarlet—Miss Eliza Scarlet, private detective. Kate Phillips stars as Victorian London’s brilliant, beautiful, and first-ever female sleuth, with Stuart Martin as her friend and associate, Detective Inspector William “The Duke” Wellington.

Lighthearted yet gripping, the thrilling six-episode series features Kevin Doyle as Eliza’s father, Henry Scarlet, who is also her mentor in crime-solving. Danny Midwinter plays Wellington’s profane but proficient sergeant, Frank Jenkins.

“Miss Scarlet and the Duke” is set in London at the start of the Sherlock Holmes era, circa 1880. Eliza’s father, Henry, is a widowed retired police officer, currently a private detective running up bills and drinking through his occasional earnings. Nonetheless, he is a talented investigator, and he has taught his only child the trade since she was a girl. She is now determined to break into this male-only profession.