‘Miss Scarlet and The Duke’ Renewed for Season 5, But a Key Cast Member Won’t Return
Miss Scarlet and the Duke will return to PBS for a fifth season, the network has confirmed. But the new episodes will be missing a key cast member. Series star Stuart Martin, who plays William “The Duke” Wellington, will not appear in season 5.
‘Miss Scarlet and The Duke’ renewed for season 5
On Feb. 29, PBS announced that Miss Scarlet and The Duke had been renewed for season 5. Unfortunately, the news came with a twist that’s sure to disappoint fans of the period detective drama.
“We’re headed back to Victorian London as Kate Phillips returns as Eliza Scarlet for a fifth season of investigations and adventures. However, Stuart Martin, aka ‘The Duke,’ will not return,” Masterpiece PBS announced on Instagram.
With Martin’s character gone, the show will be renamed Miss Scarlet moving forward.
Stuart Martin says ‘the time was right’ for him to move on from the show
Martin addressed his exit in a statement, saying that he felt it was time for Miss Scarlet and The Duke to shift gears.
“It has been such an incredible joy to bring Duke to life through Rachael [New]’s beautiful, brilliant writing, and to get to play him for the past four years. But it felt like the time was right for Scarlet to explore new stories and challenges for now, as the show continues to grow and evolve,” he said.
“I will miss working with my amazing partner-in-crime Kate and the rest of our brilliant family and team, but I’m excited to continue following Eliza and her escapades as a huge fan and newly enrolled Scarleteer,” he added.
Martin has starred opposite Phillips in Miss Scarlet and The Duke since the show premiered in 2020. He played an inspector at Scotland Yard, while she portrayed London’s first female private detective. The two characters were friends from childhood and often clashed while working together on cases. Midway through season 4, William finally confessed to a stunned Eliza that he loved her before leaving London for a one-year assignment in New York City. Now, with Martin’s departure, William and Eliza’s slow-burn, will-they-or-won’t-they romance is apparently at an end.
Kate Phillips reacts to ‘Miss Scarlet’ cast changes
Though Martin’s exit comes as a shock, Phillips reassured viewers that there are still plenty of exciting things in store for Eliza in future episodes.
“I will miss working with my pal Stu every day, and know Eliza will miss her Duke, but I think the best is yet to come for her. I can’t wait for fans to see what we have in store for season 5,” she said in a statement.
Series creator Rachael New promises that Miss Scarlet Season 5 will feature “new crimes, new friends, and new romance” for the titular heroine. “We will be keeping her very busy!”
In addition to Phillips, returning cast members for the next season of Miss Scarlet include Evan McCabe as Detective Fitzroy, Cathy Belton as Ivy, Felix Scott as Patrick Nash, Paul Bazely as Clarence, Simon Ludders as Mr. Potts, and Tim Chipping as Detective Phelps.
Miss Scarlet and The Duke Seasons 1-4 are streaming on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Channel on Prime Video.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
