UKTV is doubling down on Bookish, handing an early second-season order to the period crime drama ahead of its July debut on U&alibi.
The recommission comes before a single episode of the Mark Gatiss-led series has aired, with production on the new run—six 70-minute installments—set to begin this summer. Gatiss, who created the show and stars as antiquarian bookseller-turned-police consultant Gabriel Book, returns for season two, continuing a run that blends Golden Age whodunnits with post-war British noir.
Produced by Eagle Eye Drama (an ITV Studios label) in association with Happy Duck Films and backed by the Belgian Tax Shelter, Bookish is structured around three two-part mysteries per season. The first series, set in 1946 London, introduces Book’s double life: a well-read outsider with a sharp mind, a complicated marriage, and a secret he’s forced to guard closely in a still-hostile society.
Beta Film is handling global sales, while PBS Distribution has secured North American rights to season one. The show is co-written by Gatiss, Matthew Sweet and Ian Hallard. Carolina Giammetta returns to direct, with Jake Harvey producing.
In a parallel release timed to the premiere, Sweet has also penned a companion book—also titled Bookish—which hits shelves July 10 via Bloomsbury.
The early renewal reflects UKTV’s growing appetite for serialized crime with strong authorial voices and international upside. U&alibi, which targets mystery-driven programming, is leaning into brand-defining originals as it competes in a packed British drama space increasingly driven by co-productions and global distribution.
Guest casting for season two is underway.
