ITV period crime drama based on beloved book series has viewers ‘glued to their screens’

Period drama lovers have been raving about a television miniseries which has fans “glued to their screens”. Inspired by the book series of the same name written by C. J. Sansom, Shardlake is a historical mystery series set in 16th century Tudor England. It follows barrister Matthew Shardlake (played by Arthur Hughes) who investigates crimes amidst the religious and political upheaval of King Henry VIII’s reign.

The hunchback lawyer is sent by Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) to investigate the death of a commissioner at a monastery in the remote town of Scarnsea. The four-party series was greenlit by Disney+ to be produced by The Forge, part of Banijay.

Producers filmed the historical show in a series of lavish locations, including Hungary, Romania, and Austria. For the monastery, they used Hunedoara Castle in the heart of Transylvania, and Kreuzenstein Castle just ouside of Vienna.

The epic historical crime series, which is free to stream on ITVX or on Disney+, sees Hughes and Bear share the screen with Irfan Shamji, David Pearse, Miles Barrow, Mike Noble, and Kimberley Nixon.

The successful crime series has sold over four million copies worldwide and has been translated into multiple languages including Persian and Italian. Unfortunately, the author died on April 27, 2024 just four days before the series premiered on Disney+.

Less than 12 months later, the series was cancelled after just one series despite receiving 79% rating on the popular critics website, Rotten Tomatoes.

Both the series and the book have been widely praised online, with one writing: “I was absolutely glued to this and sorry to hear there won’t be another season. Great storyline and acting.

"I think if this continued, the audience would grow as news of it got out. I do love history, especially the Tudor times so this was a bonus for me.”

Another agreed: “Great show. Atmospheric, beautifully shot and strong writing make this worth a watch. Definitely requires a second season to round out the characters.”

Also lauding the show, a third added: “Great performances, Arthur Huges was particularly captivating in the lead role. Excellent production, both engaging and atmospheric. I wish it had been more than four episodes as there was more space to develop the depth of some of the characters and sub plots.

"Overall, it was top quality. Murder mystery in a Tudor setting – what a combo!” Despite the series being cancelled, loyal fans are already petitioning for the show to make a comeback.