Channel 5 might not be your usual go-to for gripping TV dramas, but it shouldn't be overlooked in favour of the Netflixes and BBCs of the world, as it has some true hidden gems in its repertoire.
Take Murder Before Evensong, for example. Initially released in 2025, this six-episode show has all the makings of your perfect cosy-crime drama. Small town? Check. Mysterious string of murders? Check. Based on a series of novels? Check. If there's a recipe for the perfect binge-watch, then I think this must be it.
What's Murder Before Evensong about?
Based on the first book in the series, 'The Canon Clement Mysteries' by Reverend Richard Coles, Murder Before Evensong explores the twists and turns of a small town with big secrets. Without giving too much away, Canon Daniel Clement (the town reverend, played by national treasure Matthew Lewis) finds himself suddenly entangled in a murder case when a dead body is found in his church not long after he announced plans to modernise the ways of 1980's.
As the murders continue, it's up to Clement to keep the community from fracturing, and finally capture the killer at large. Whilst the drama ensues, expect eccentric moments from Clement's widowed mother (played by Amanda Redman) and the two tiny dachshunds they live with.
Who's in the cast of Murder Before Evensong?
Murder Before Evensong was adapted to the screen by Nick Hicks-Beach and directed by David Moore (who also directed some of our other favourite dramas like Fool Me Once and Shetland). The cast is full of recognisable faces, so here's where you may have seen them before:
- Canon Daniel Clement - Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter, All Creatures Great and Small)
- Audrey Clement - Amanda Redman (New Tricks, Sexy Beast)
- DS Neil Vanloo - Amit Shah (Happy Valley)
- Bernard, Lord de Floures - Adam James (The Day of the Jackal)
- Stella Harper - Tamzin Outhwaite (New Tricks, The Wives)
- Jane Thwaite - Nina Toussaint-White (Emmerdale, Witness Number 3)
- Kath Sharman - Marion Bailey
- Honor de Floures - Meghan Treadway
- Alex de Floures - Alexander Delamain
- Dora Sharman - Amanda Hadingue
- Edgy - Francis Magee
- Ned Thwaite - Ben Batt
- Nathan - Sam Baker Jones
So, if you're a fan of Grantchester and have just finished your latest crime drama binge-watch, then give Murder Before Evensong a try for some lighthearted yet enthralling moments of TV magic.
Murder Before Evensong is available to stream on Channel 5.
