5 SHARES FIRST LOOK IMAGES FOR NEW MURDER MYSTERY SERIES ‘MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG’

London, Tuesday 19th August 2025: Today 5 have released the first-look images for the highly anticipated murder mystery series, Murder Before Evensong, the six-episode drama based on the Sunday Times best-selling first novel by the Reverend Richard Coles.  Starring Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter, All Creatures Great and Small), the riveting series will air this autumn on 5.   

Murder Before Evensong is based on the first novel in the best-selling series, the Canon Clement Mysteries, by British author the Reverend Richard Coles, and is set in 1980’s England. Matthew Lewis stars as Canon Daniel Clement, the Rector of Champton, who finds himself unexpectedly entangled in a murder case when a dead body turns up in the church.  

Daniel shares Champton rectory with his widowed mother Audrey (Amanda Redman, New Tricks) – and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda. When Daniel announces a plan to modernize the church, the parish is suddenly divided. And then a body is found dead at the back of the church. As the police move in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his fractured community together… and catch a killer.   

The cast also consists of Amit Shah (Happy Valley) as DS Neil Vanloo, Adam James (The Day of the Jackal) as Bernard De Floures Meghan Treadway (One Day) as Honor De Floures, Alexander Delamain as Alex De Floures, Marion Bailey (The Crown) as Kath, Amanda Hadingue (Kaos) as Dora, Tamzin Outhwaite (The Wives) as Stella Harper, Francis Magee (Kin) as Edgy, and Nina Toussaint-White (Showtrial) as Jane Thwaite.  

Murder Before Evensong is adapted by Nick Hicks-Beach (Lewis, DCI Banks, Midsomer Murders) and directed by David Moore (Fool Me Once, Outlander, Shetland, Marple). Executive Producers are Radford Neville and the Reverend Richard Coles for The Lighthouse, Catherine Mackin and Don Klees for Acorn TV/Acorn Media Enterprises, and Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer and Head of Scripted, Paramount UK and Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama, 5 who co-produces the series.   

The series was filmed in the West Midlands with support from the West Midlands Production Fund. Acorn TV maintains worldwide rights to Murder Before Evensong outside of the UK with AMC Networks handling global content sales.

The series will be available to watch and stream on 5 and Acorn TV in the US and Canada this autumn.  

Notes to Editors 

About 5 

5 is the home of award-winning content from the UK’s third largest commercial PSB, a culmination of the creative transformation of Channel 5 over more than a decade. 5 is part of the Paramount Global family of brands. 

Through a mix of live TV channels and bingeable boxsets, the free-to-air service allows UK audiences to watch or stream the breadth of programming from Channel 5 – including Milkshake!, its dedicated preschool brand – and a wide selection from the wider Paramount family of brands, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Paramount+ and more.

In keeping with its PSB remit, 5 tells the story of modern Britain by reflecting the lives of people across the UK, featuring well-known faces and fresh new talent. Its programme roster spans original UK drama, premium factual, true crime, science, news & current affairs and kids’ content, which continue to attract critical acclaim.  

Recent wins include BAFTA Television and RTS Awards for the documentary White Nanny, Black Child in 2024, along with a BAFTA nomination for Endurance Race to the Pole. Factual hit The Yorkshire Vet and the broadcaster’s series on air fryers also won RTS Yorkshire awards, while Michael Palin received the Radio Times Special Judges Award for his Channel 5 documentaries.

About Acorn TV   

AMC Networks’ Acorn TV is North America’s largest streaming service specializing in premium British and international television. Acorn TV adds exclusive programming every week to a deep library of quirky mysteries, engaging thrillers, and gripping crime dramas – all commercial-free. Acorn TV’s recent slate is comprised of acclaimed commissioned and original series including popular UK detective drama Harry Wild (Jane Seymour), Signora Volpe (Emilia Fox), The Chelsea Detective (Adrian Scarborough), New Zealand detective series My Life Is Murder (Lucy Lawless), acclaimed Irish crime thriller Bloodlands (James Nesbitt, co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio), British crime drama Whitstable Pearl (Kerry Godliman), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines (Rebecca Gibney, Charles Edwards) and British detective drama Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel), to name a few. Current and upcoming Acorn TV Original Series include crime drama Art Detectives (Stephen Moyer), Irish Blood (Alicia Silverstone), Murder Before Evensong (Matthew Lewis), You’re Killing Me (Brooke Shields) and many more. The above add to a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas including Jack Irish (Guy Pearce), Doc Martin (Martin Clunes), Deadwater Fell (David Tennant, Cush Jumbo) and all 24 seasons of fan-favorite Midsomer Murders, among others.        

About The Lighthouse 

The Lighthouse’s highly anticipated Netflix film Scoop launched in April 2024. Starring Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell, the film portrays the events leading up to Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview. It was Netflix’s Number 1 film in the UK and reached the Top 10 in 56 countries globally. The film was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding TV Movie category, a Broadcast Award as Best Single Drama and Billie Piper was nominated for a BAFTA in the Leading Actress category. Channel 4 has recently commissioned The Lighthouse to make Pierre, a six-part drama co-written by Roy Williams and John Donnelly, starring David Harewood in the title role. The Lighthouse also produced two series of 61st Street in association with AMC Studios. Created by Peter Moffat and starring Courtney B Vance, the show was filmed in Chicago and premiered in the US in April 2022. The company was established in 2020 by Hilary Salmon, Radford Neville and Nick Betts. The team’s extensive credits include Criminal Justice, Three Girls, Luther, Doctor Who, Silk, Good Omens, Our Girl, Youngers, A Discovery of Witches, Undercover, Wuthering Heights and The Borrowers.