Jace is the host of the five-time Webby Award-winning MASTERPIECE Studio, the official companion podcast to PBS' long-running and much beloved drama anthology MASTERPIECE, and the deep-dive audio documentary Making MASTERPIECE, about the 50-year history of Masterpiece Theatre.

In this role, he co-created the format for the podcast and hosts each episode of the podcast, which takes the viewer behind the scenes of such MASTERPIECE programming as Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Wallander, Grantchester, Poldark, Victoria, Lewis, Endeavour, and others in a series of in-depth interviews with actors, writers, and producers. The MASTERPIECE Studio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, pbs.org/masterpiece, and many other audio platforms.

The original press release about MASTERPIECE Studio can be found at the MASTERPIECE website, while here is an Entertainment Weekly story about the podcast. A recent Variety story highlighted MASTERPIECE Studio in a story about podcasts becoming the “director’s commentary of the Internet age.”

Since launching in 2015, MASTERPIECE Studio has produced more than 250 episodes — and has won four Webby Awards, two Signal Awards, and has been downloaded more than 22 million times. In 2019, MASTERPIECE Studio was additionally named a Webby Award Honoree in the Television & Film Podcast category.

In 2020, MASTERPIECE Studio was again nominated by the Webby Awards for Best Podcast: Television & Film and took home the top prize for People’s Voice Award in the Podcasts, Television & Film category.

In 2023, Making MASTERPIECE was awarded a Silver medal and Listener’s Choice at the Signal Awards.

In a bit of fun on-air promotion, here’s MASTERPIECE Mystery host Alan Cumming talking about how to listen to the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast:

And here is the trailer for Making MASTERPIECE, a three-episode deep-dive audio documentary timed to the 50th anniversary of MASTERPIECE (formerly known as Masterpiece Theatre), which tackles five decades of MASTERPIECE history as we examine how it went from a crazy idea to a drama anthology series celebrating its golden jubilee:

Here’s the official description:

“Making MASTERPIECE is the full story of how public media’s favorite place for the best of British drama went from crazy idea to a franchise 50 years strong. Hosted by MASTERPIECE Studio host Jace Lacob, the three-part documentary miniseries features the inside scoop on everything from Downton Abbey to Upstairs, Downstairs, and everything in between.

Featuring exclusive interviews with MASTERPIECE favorites like Rufus Sewell, Lily Collins, Alan Cumming, Laura Linney, Charles Dance, and many more, Making MASTERPIECE launched February 28, 2021. Making MASTERPIECE can be found in the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.”

Here’s a Boston Globe story on Making MASTERPIECE and here’s me on WPSU Radio and on WGVU Radio talking about Masterpiece Theatre.

And here’s a fun feature that MASTERPIECE put together about the podcast itself, with four facts about Making MASTERPIECE.

Making MASTERPIECE was named a 2022 Webby Award Honoree in the category of Podcast Limited Series, Entertainment. It was awarded a Silver Award and the Listeners’ Choice Award at the 2023 Signal Awards.

And here’s me looking back at some of my favorite interviews from recording more than 200 episodes (!) of MASTERPIECE Studio, in a piece for PBS: MASTERPIECE Studio Podcast: Host Favorites.

In 2024, MASTERPIECE Studio was nominated for a Webby Award for Best Film/TV Podcast (alongside entries from Netflix and HBO) for our Endeavour: The Story So Far episode and ultimately won the People’s Voice Webby Award — and was also named an honoree in the Interview/Talk Show category for our Sanditon finale interviews with series leads Rose Williams and Crystal Clarke.

Also in 2024, MASTERPIECE Studio won the Signal Award’s Gold medal (!) and the Listeners’ Choice awards for Best Host — that’s me! — in the Individual Episode category for my interview with Helena Bonham Carter.

Individual episodes of MASTERPIECE Studio can be listened to here:

Episode 281: Wolf Hall: A Recap of Season 1
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Wolf Hall.

We’re pleased to bring you this special recap episode of Wolf Hall, the award-winning 2015 adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. This episode outlines major plot points, historical details, and character arcs, so if you’re not caught up on Wolf Hall yet, all six episodes are available to watch on PBS Passport.

Now let’s travel back to England in the year 1529, right at the start of one of the most tempestuous times in English history…

Episode 280: Kirsten Claiden-Yardley Decodes Wolf Hall
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Wolf Hall.

Production researcher Kirsten Claiden-Yardley is an Oxford-educated historian, researcher, and author with a particular interest in 15th and 16th century British history. Today, Kirsten takes us behind the tapestry to discuss working on MASTERPIECE’s 2015 production Wolf Hall, and provides the real-life historical context for this monumental historical drama.

Episode 279: Samantha Bond Wraps Up The Marlow Murder Club
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for The Marlow Murder Club.

Actor Samantha Bond joins the podcast once again to talk about the surprising ending of The Marlow Murder Club, and reflect on Judith Potts’ character arc from independent retired archaeologist to amateur detective alongside her new friends.

Episode 278: Samantha Bond Casts a Sharp Eye on The Marlow Murder Club
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 1 of The Marlow Murder Club.

Actor Samantha Bond plays the inquisitive Judith Potts, who isn’t your average sleuth. When she isn’t writing her latest crossword or enjoying a travel sweet, retired archaeologist Judith can be found wild swimming in the Thames. Today, we talk with Samantha about playing the lead character of The Marlow Murder Club. Samantha also shares fond memories of her Downton Abbey co-star and friend, the late Maggie Smith.

Episode 277: A Moonflower Murders Killer Speaks!
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Moonflower Murders.

Actor Pippa Bennett-Warner returns to the podcast in this special bonus episode to discuss that shocking reveal in the finale of Moonflower Murders.

Episode 276: Anthony Horowitz Wraps Up the Moonflower Murders Finale
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for the entire season — and finale — of Moonflower Murders.

Writer and creator Anthony Horowitz sits down with us again to wrap up his magnificently classic yet modern meta-mystery series Moonflower Murders and dissects the climatic ending.

Episode 275: Mark Gatiss Casts His Eye on Moonflower Murders
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Moonflower Murders Episode 5.

Actor Mark Gatiss is a familiar face in the MASTERPIECE world. From Sherlock to Wolf Hall to Nolly, he always brings a unique charm to his characters and scripts. Today, we talk with Mark about playing timid film producer Oscar Berlin and prickly Frank Parris in Anthony Horowitz’s Moonflower Murders, as well as his love of golden age murder mysteries.

Episode 274: Pippa Bennett-Warner Revels Being An Impeccable Detective’s Assistant in Moonflower Murders

For actor Pippa Bennett-Warner, Madeline Cain is the perfect cozy murder mystery character. She’s delightful, respectful, and impeccably dressed. As detective Atticus Pünd’s efficient assistant, Madeline keeps things organized and anticipates her boss’s needs, but beneath this flawless facade lurks a woman who can’t hide her adoration for murdered actress Melissa James. Today, Pippa brings us inside Madeline’s world, that of 1950’s Devonshire, and gives us a glimpse into what makes her character tick. 

Episode 273: Anthony Horowitz Casts a Light on Moonflower Murders
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Moonflower Murders Episode 1.

Having composed over 60 novels and countless screenplays, Anthony Horowitz is among today’s most prolific writers. We talk with Anthony about the sequel to MASTERPIECE’s Magpie Murders, his novel Moonflower Murders, and how he adapted this story for the screen. Anthony shares his insights on plot, character motivation, and what to look forward to in the coming episodes.

Episode 272: Rishi Nair & Daisy Coulam Wrap Up Season 9 of Grantchester
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Grantchester Season 9.

Reverend Alphy Kottaram could be described as a “glass half full” kind of guy. And this season, that optimistic outlook has been repeatedly put to the test. Today, we’re joined once again by lead actor Rishi Nair, and Grantchester writer and creator Daisy Coulam to look back on this transformational season, and maybe peek into the future of the next.

Episode 271: Al Weaver Steps Behind the Camera to Direct a Unique Episode of Grantchester
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Grantchester Season 9.

Actor Al Weaver has played fan-favorite Leonard Finch since the first season of Grantchester. After successfully stepping behind the camera as the director of an episode last season, he’s back in the director’s seat for Episodes 4 and 5 of Season 9. We’re joined by Weaver to discuss the choices he made in directing these spellbinding episodes of Grantchester.

Episode 270: Rishi Nair & Daisy Coulam on Grantchester's New Vicar
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Grantchester Season 9.

Actor Rishi Nair steps into the role of Grantchester’s newest vicar, Alphy Kotteram. But this quaint Cambridgeshire village doesn’t exactly welcome him with open arms. Will Alphy find his place in Grantchester?

We’re joined by Rishi and lead writer and executive producer Daisy Coulam, to dive into all of the big changes in this new era of Grantchester.

Episode 269: Tom Brittney Says Farewell to Grantchester
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Grantchester Season 9.

Tom Brittney has been a multi-hyphenate on Grantchester: lead actor, director, and executive producer. For the past five seasons, we’ve watched his character, Will Davenport, transform from rash youth to family man.

This week, Tom joins us for a final time to reflect on what playing Will Davenport has taught him about himself and to tie up Will's character arc as he bids farewell to Grantchester.

Episode 268: Writer Gwyneth Hughes Wraps Up Mr Bates vs The Post Office

Mr Bates vs The Post Office writer Gwyneth Hughes joins the podcast again to continue our conversation about this real-life scandal, and what lessons we can take away from one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history.

Episode 267: Andrea Riseborough Deciphers the Finale of Alice & Jack
WARNING: This episode contains major spoilers for Alice & Jack.

For lead actor and executive producer Andrea Riseborough, love can look like many things. From confusion and estrangement to laughter and awkwardness, love is always beyond our control. This week, Riseborough brings us inside the mind of her character Alice, and to the heart of her tragic relationship with Jack, as this beautifully complex love story comes to a close.

Episode 266: Aisling Bea Dives Deep into the Drama (and Comedy) of Alice & Jack
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Alice & Jack.

Actor Aisling Bea delights in bringing nuance to her characters and finding the humor in dramatic roles. This week, Aisling joins us to discuss playing Jack’s dynamic and resilient ex-wife Lynn in Alice & Jack, and how her character maintains her poise and dignity despite the chaos of Alice and Jack’s relationship.

Episode 265: Screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes Plots a Real-Life David Versus Goliath Tale in Mr Bates vs The Post Office

For writer Gwyneth Hughes, Mr Bates vs The Post Office is the perfect culmination of her years of experience as a journalist, documentarian, and dramatist.

This week, Hughes joins us to discuss how she adapted this true story for the screen, and the real-life impact of this drama series as the fallout from the scandal continues to echo in Parliament, the courts, and the halls of power in Britain.

Episode 264: Helena Bonham Carter on Inhabiting (and Embracing) Noele Gordon in Nolly
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Nolly.

Actor Helena Bonham Carter enjoys playing complex, dynamic roles. From Princess Margaret to Bellatrix Lestrange, she never shies away from complicated characters.

This week, we talked with Bonham Carter about playing the trailblazing Noele Gordon in Russell T Davies’ Nolly, a role for which she earned a BAFTA Television award nomination for Leading Actress.

Episode 263: Composer Blair Mowat Plays Up the (Story) Beats in Nolly
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 2 of Nolly.

Composer Blair Mowat has written music for a long list of film and TV productions, including Class, After The Flood, and recently, Russell T. Davies’ bittersweet love letter to the Queen of the Midlands, Nolly. This week, we talked with Blair about how he approached composing the music for this eloquent and emotional real-life drama, for which he earned a BAFTA Television Award nomination for Original Music.

Episode 262: Creator Victor Levin on the Messy Highs and Lows of Love in Alice & Jack
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Alice & Jack.

For Alice & Jack writer and creator Victor Levin, love is a messy business worth fighting for. It often bypasses the rules of reason and logic and throws all kinds of emotional curve balls. But in the end, it’s the best thing we have. In this interview, Victor joins us to share his feelings on the nature of love, and what he hopes viewers take away from this series.

Episode 261: Stuart Martin Says Goodbye to Miss Scarlet and The Duke
WARNING: This episode contains significant spoilers for Season 4 of Miss Scarlet and The Duke.

For four seasons, we’ve watched Eliza Scarlet and William Wellington work together to solve a seemingly endless stream of serpentine mysteries in Victorian era London. But by the fourth episode of Season Four, Eliza and William's relationship is forever changed.

Stuart Martin, who has played William Wellington for the past four seasons, will not be returning as the Duke for a fifth season. In this episode, we talk with actor Stuart Martin, and writers Rachael New and Ben Edwards about this momentous shift, and what lies ahead for the future of the show.

Episode 260: Wartime Rations and Black Markets in All Creatures Great and Small and Beyond
Dr. Mark Roodhouse, historical consultant for All Creatures Great & Small, and lecturer in History at the University of York, joins us to discuss his role on the show, and the real-life history behind rationing and black markets in World War II-era Britain.

Episode 259: Nicholas Ralph On the Emotional Finale of All Creatures Great and Small Season 4
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 7 of All Creatures Great and Small Season 4.

Lead actor Nicholas Ralph returns to the podcast to reflect on Season Four of All Creatures Great and Small, and how his character James Herriot learned to embrace the ever-present uncertainties of life while training a new vet, joining the RAF, and becoming a father.

Episode 258: Rachael New & Ben Edwards on the Fourth Season Finale of Miss Scarlet and The Duke
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 4.

Writers Rachael New and Ben Edwards are back to wrap up Season Four of Miss Scarlet and The Duke. At the end of this season, Eliza steps out of the shadows cast by her father, Nash, and the Duke, and finally hangs her own shingle.

This week, Rachael and Ben join us to discuss the Season Four finale, and what this huge shift might mean for Eliza and the show going forward.

Episode 257: James Anthony-Rose Puts the Pedal to the Metal on All Creatures Great and Small
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 5 of All Creatures Great and Small Season 4.

Actor James Anthony-Rose joins All Creatures Great and Small this season as new veterinarian Richard Carmody. With Tristan away and James leaving for military training, there’s a lot of pressure on Richard to succeed in the veterinary practice. Will he rise to the occasion?

James discusses how he approached playing the bookish Richard Carmody, and what he shares with his character both on and off the set.

Episode 256: Stuart Martin Decodes The Duke's Decision on Miss Scarlet and The Duke
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 4.

It’s been a trying season for actor Stuart Martin’s “Duke.” He’s been pushed past the point of exhaustion, shot in the arm, in a coma, and now contends with rest and recovery. But as we see a more vulnerable Duke emerge, these events are hardly what occupies his mind. Actor Stuart Martin joins us this week to explore big changes for the Duke, and what his future might hold.

Episode 255: Rachael New & Ben Edwards Flash Back to the Early Days of Miss Scarlet and The Duke
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 4.

In Episode 3 of Miss Scarlet and The Duke, writers and spouses Rachael New and Ben Edwards try something new: a flashback episode. We travel back in time to the world of young Eliza and William to witness their formative years and the origins of their relationship.

Rachael and Ben join us this week to bring us inside their writing process, and discuss how they arrived at the first ever flashback episode of Miss Scarlet and The Duke.

Episode 254: Neve McIntosh’s Miss Harbottle Claims Her Domain on All Creatures Great and Small
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 2 of All Creatures Great and Small Season 4.

Actor Neve McIntosh joins All Creatures Great and Small this season as the organized and rigid Miss Harbottle. Bringing order to chaos is her speciality, and that’s what she plans to do at the rather disorderly Skeldale House. But will it be a good fit for the practice? This week, Neve McIntosh shares what makes Miss Harbottle tick, her would-be romance with Siegfried Farnon, and what her long-term visions are for Skeldale House.

Episode 253: Head Writer Jamie Crichton Turns His Pen on All Creatures Great and Small Season 4
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 1 of All Creatures Great and Small Season 4.

New beginnings are afoot as Jamie Crichton takes over as lead writer for the fourth season of All Creatures Great and Small. With Tristan away and the war encroaching, things aren’t quite the same in Darrowby. But these changes leave room for other dynamics to blossom.

Jamie shares how he stayed true to the show while exploring new themes of love, humor, and loss.

Episode 252: Eugénie Derouand Goes Underground on World on Fire
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 6 of World on Fire Season 2.

This season, actor Eugénie Derouand’s character, Henriette Guilbert, moves into the foreground. As the Nazis tighten their grip on the hospital, Henriette moves her resistance efforts to the French countryside, where she hides and rehabilitates fallen RAF pilots, and helps them return home. This week, Eugénie Derouand reflects on what motivates Henriette to take such enormous risks.

Stay tuned after the interview for real WWII historical commentary from World on Fire historical advisor Richard Overy.

Episode 251: Mark Bonnar’s Sir James Charms His Way Through a World on Fire
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 5 of World on Fire Season 2.

Actor Mark Bonnar turns up the charm this season with his suave and elegant character, Sir James Danemere. But what lies behind this sly demeanor? This week, Mark Bonnar brings us inside the head of Sir James, a man with a sharp sense of the ridiculous.

Stay tuned after the interview for real WWII historical commentary from World on Fire historical advisor Richard Overy.

Episode 250: Ahad Raza Mir’s Rajib Races Into a World on Fire
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 4 of World on Fire Season 2.

Actor Ahad Raza Mir joins Season 2 of World on Fire as the heroic leader of the British Indian Army’s Sapper unit, Rajib Pal. In this interview, he discusses the complexity of his character, and how Rajib can simultaneously follow the rules while throwing caution to the wind.

Stay tuned after the interview for real WWII historical commentary from World on Fire historical advisor Richard Overy.

Episode 249: Director Meenu Gaur Turns Her Lens on “World on Fire” Season 2
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 3 of World on Fire Season 2.

For director Meenu Gaur, it’s important to bring a new perspective to the stories and genres that have been around for decades. And that’s what drew her to World on Fire. In this interview, Gaur discusses how she balanced the big, dramatic moments of battle with the small, tender moments of love, longing, and domesticity.

Stay tuned after the interview for real WWII historical commentary from World on Fire historical advisor Richard Overy.

Episode 248: Historian Richard Overy on Fact and Fiction in World on Fire Season 2
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 1 of World on Fire Season 2.

Historical advisor Richard Overy joins us as we kick off Season 2 of World on Fire. A lot happened in that first year of WWII, and because this show closely follows the real life history of the war, we want to take a moment to get oriented. If you’re confused about the North African campaign, never-ending bombings in Manchester, or the U.S’s non-involvement, don’t fret. We here at MASTERPIECE Studio have got you covered. Let us bring you up to speed about everything in Episode 1.

Episode 247: Sanjeev Bhaskar and Chris Lang Reflect on Unforgotten Season 5
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Unforgotten Season 5.

For actor Sanjeev Bhaskar and writer and creator Chris Lang, Season 5 of Unforgotten was full of new challenges and uncomfortable moments. But by the end of this season, we’re left with a glimmer of hope.

As Sanjeev and Chris discuss the final episode of this season, we’re reminded that even in the most difficult of situations, there is always the promise of new beginnings.

Episode 246: Chris Lang Explores the Depths of Grief in Unforgotten Season Five
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of Season Five of Unforgotten.

Unforgotten creator and writer Chris Lang knew it would take time for both audiences and characters to grieve the loss of the beloved Cassie Stuart, played by Nicola Walker, and welcome in Jessica James, played by Sinéad Keenan. In this episode, Lang reveals some of the decisions he made when crafting this transition, and why the obvious choice was to lean into the unexpected.

Episode 245: World on Fire: The Story So Far | A Recap of Season 1
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for World on Fire Season 1.

It’s been more than three years since MASTERPIECE aired Season 1 of World on Fire in 2020 — so don’t worry if you don’t remember exactly what happened in the first season. But rest assured: we’ve got you covered.

With Season 2 of World on Fire just around the corner, let’s go back to the beginning and make sure we’re all caught up on every stolen glance, every failed mission, and every one of Robina’s withering comments as we prepare to parachute back into World on Fire.

Episode 244: Unforgotten Co-Star Sinéad Kennan Has Big Boots to Fill
As an Unforgotten fan herself, actor Sinéad Keenan was well aware of the boots she was filling by stepping into the role of the new DCI. And as if that wasn’t enough of a hurdle for her character DCI Jessica James, less than an hour before her first day at work, Jess’s husband Steve drops some shattering news.

Sinéad joins the podcast this week to reflect on some of the challenges her character faces and how she approached playing the bristly and complex Jessica James.

Episode 243: Unforgotten Star Sanjeev Bhaskar Previews The Changes To Come For Sunny Khan
At the end of Season 4 of Unforgotten, DCI Cassie Stuart, played by Nicola Walker, tragically died in a car accident, sending shockwaves out to the other characters, actors, and viewers alike. But DI Sunny Khan is hit especially hard, given his close working relationship with Cassie.

Sanjeev Bhaskar joins us to discuss how Sunny deals with this change, and what struggles and triumphs might lie ahead for his character this season.

Episode 242: Shaun Evans Says Goodbye To Endeavour
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for the series finale of Endeavour.

For over a decade, lead actor Shaun Evans has starred as Endeavour Morse. We’ve watched him transform from the young, talented and eager Morse, into the gruff, solitary, and brilliant Morse character portrayed by John Thaw in the original Inspector Morse series. As this series draws to a satisfying conclusion, Shaun Evans joins us to reflect on this final season, and why it felt like the right time to say goodbye to Endeavour.

Episode 241: A Live Conversation with Shaun Evans on Endeavour

After 11 years of murder, mystery, and mystifying crossword puzzles, we’ve come to the final season of Endeavour. This episode is from a live conversation our host, Jace Lacob, had with Morse himself — star, director and producer Shaun Evans — during PBS’s virtual Endeavour event.

Episode 240: Endeavour: The Story So Far, a Recap of Seasons 1-8
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Endeavour Seasons 1-8.

As Endeavour fans will know, this show packs its fair share of clever and unpredictable details into every episode. So, let’s make sure we’re all caught up on every clue, every chance meeting, and every furtive glance as we gear up for the final season of Endeavour on this special recap episode of MASTERPIECE Studio.

Episode 239: Solly McLeod Makes His MASTERPIECE Debut With Tom Jones
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Tom Jones.

Solly McLeod joins the podcast to discuss his meteoric rise as an actor and how he relates to his Tom Jones character, as we bid a fond farewell to this joyful coming-of-age love story.

Episode 238: Pearl Mackie Appreciates Honour’s Frankness and Empathy
Honour Newton isn’t your typical lady’s maid. She’s outspoken and frank, but always provides unwavering support to her lovesick mistress Sophia Western, despite some very uncomfortable situations.

Actor Pearl Mackie joins the podcast to discuss how her Tom Jones character strikes a balance between honesty and duty.

Episode 237: Sophie Wilde Has Always Loved Period Dramas

Tom Jones co-star Sophie Wilde reflects on what it means for her character, Sophia Western, to take charge of her own journey in defiance of her family — and society's expectations — in pursuit of her one true love.

Episode 236: Screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes Delivers Joy With Her Tom Jones
Gwyneth Hughes is no stranger to serious period dramas, but wanted to try something more lighthearted and romantic with her adaptation of Tom Jones.

Hughes discusses the decisions and joys of adapting Henry Fielding’s 1,000-page, deeply human, “mother of all rom-coms” into four episodes of pure sunshine.

Episode 235: Rose Williams And Crystal Clarke Give A Fond Farewell To Sanditon
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of Season Three of Sanditon.

After three dramatic seasons, the series finale of Sanditon brings the story of Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel to a satisfying conclusion. Rose Williams and Crystal Clarke discuss the resolution of Charlotte Heywood’s and Georgiana Lambe’s stories and reflect on what this series has meant to them as actors.

Episode 234: Sanditon: Kate Ashfield’s Mary Parker Finds Her Voice By Standing Up For What Is Right
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of Season Three of Sanditon.

Mary Parker has steadfastly supported the dreams of her visionary husband, Tom, but when his vision for Sanditon collides with Mary’s belief in what is right and just, she can support him no longer.

Actor Kate Ashfield joins the podcast to discuss how Mary Parker finds her voice by pushing against Tom’s intolerable plans.

Episode 233: Sanditon: Crystal Clarke Explores Trust, Identity, and Love Through Georgiana Lambe
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of Season Three of Sanditon.
Georgiana Lambe’s fortune has proven to be a blessing and a curse. While it provides her with safety and independence, it is also a magnet for fortune hunters and gossip mongers.

In this interview, Crystal Clarke reveals some of the challenges Georgiana confronts as she defends not only her wealth, but also her identity.

Episode 232: Sanditon’s Rose Williams Knows Charlotte Heywood Can’t Keep Her Emotions in a Box
It’s been anything but smooth sailing for Charlotte Heywood since she first arrived in Sanditon. After experiencing heartbreak twice, she returns to the seaside resort this time with her childhood friend and fiancé, Ralph Starling.

Actor Rose Williams joins us to discuss Charlotte’s pursuit of self-discovery as we kick off this third and final season of Sanditon.

Episode 231: All Creatures Great and Small: Rachel Shenton And Nicholas Ralph Look Ahead To War In The Dales
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Seven of Season Three of All Creatures Great and Small.

At the end of the third season of All Creatures Great and Small, World War II has finally come to the Yorkshire Dales. Series leads Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph reflect on their characters’ first season as a married couple, and anticipate what the arrival of war will mean for the Dales — and for the Herriots themselves.

Episode 230: Stuart Martin Knows The Duke Has A Perfect Clearance Rate, Off-Camera
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of Season Three of Miss Scarlet and The Duke.

As a title character in Miss Scarlet and The Duke, William “Duke” Wellington has a remarkably poor crime-solving rate when compared to his amateur friend and colleague, Eliza Scarlet. But Stuart Martin assures viewers that the Duke is solving 100% of the crimes you don’t see him investigate, just off screen — not including the mystery of his love life, that is.

Episode 229: All Creatures Great and Small: Anna Madeley Relishes Showing More Of Audrey Hall
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of Season Three of All Creatures Great and Small.

The character of Mrs. Hall is knowing, and quick and quietly competent, but there’s much about her viewers still don’t know. Until this week, that is.

In a gripping new episode, we learn the backstory of her long estrangement from her son, and Anna Madeley reveals how that story came to the screen.

Episode 228: Miss Scarlet and the Duke: Cathy Belton Leads Ivy Woods Through The Kitchen Door And Into The Modern World
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of Season Three of Miss Scarlet and the Duke.

Ivy Woods is Eliza Scarlet’s surrogate mother, best friend and biggest critic. But thanks to Eliza, Ivy’s seen new possibilities for women in the Victorian Era, which is a thrilling journey for actor Cathy Belton to chart. Belton traces Ivy’s arc in the last three seasons, and looks ahead to what’s in store for the sharp-tongued housekeeper.

Episode 227: Miss Scarlet and the Duke: Rachael New Takes A First Go-Round In The Director's Chair
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of Season Three of Miss Scarlet and the Duke.

Miss Scarlet and the Duke series creator, head writer and executive producer Rachael New has a new title to add to her hyphenated list of roles on the show — director!

In this third episode of the third season, New stepped up and swept in to the director's chair in a charming jewel box of a bottle episode. New explains how she found the courage to take on the job, and what she learned from the process on set.

Episode 226: All Creatures Great and Small: There's No Creature Too Small For Jill Clark To Handle
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of Season Three of All Creatures Great and Small.

On any given episode of All Creatures Great and Small, a wide variety of animals pass through the scene with injured hooves or damaged snouts. It's up to animal handlers like Jill Clark of 1st Choice Animals to train those furry guest stars to sit still, lie down, or play dead — which she does to great effect. Clark explains the hidden human touch required behind the scenes to bring a rural veterinary practice to raucous life... and reveals which cast member Tricki Woo loves best.

Episode 225: All Creatures Great and Small: A Joyous Season Opening For Nicholas Ralph
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Season Three of All Creatures Great and Small.

It took two seasons of television — and a lot more besides — but Nicholas Ralph’s James Herriot has finally tied the knot with Rachel Shenton’s Helen Alderson. It’s a real highlight of the third season, and one Ralph and his castmates cherished all the more with the presence of the real-life James Herriot's children, Rosie and Jim.

Episode 224: After A Shocking Conclusion, A Soothing Magpie Murders Look Back
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of Magpie Murders.

We’re of course bound to remind listeners not to listen to episodes like this until they watch all of the related Mystery! series — but after you do, you’ll definitely want to come back.

Magpie Murders creator, writer, and executive producer Anthony Horowitz and series star Lesley Manville return to the podcast to discuss the surprising finale, and perhaps even give Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pünd fans something to look forward to.

Episode 223: Both Atticus Pünd And Tim McMullan Are In On The Same Big Secret
Actor Tim McMullan had worked with author and screenwriter Anthony Horrowitz before, but never on a title as wild as the adaptation of his own Magpie Murders.

As Atticus Pünd — a fictional detective who solves murders both real and imaginary — McMullan has great fun gently ribbing the classic whodunnit format.

Episode 222: Miss Scarlet Creator Rachael New Mixes ‘Clue’ With ‘Pride And Prejudice’ To Winning Effect
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Second Season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke.

The witty banter and serialized crime-of-the-week format of Miss Scarlet and the Duke give viewers a regular pivot between the expected and the extraordinary. That span was exactly what series creator and executive producer Rachael New aimed for when she put together the show, and she explains the origin story and looks ahead in a new conversation.

Episode 221: Lesley Manville Lights Up The Screen As Susan Ryeland in “Magpie Murders”
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for episode two of Magpie Murders.

Lesley Manville is in high demand lately for her excellent work on screen, so it seems only fitting that she come to the MASTERPIECE screen in the role of brilliant editor Susan Ryeland in the twisty mystery of Magpie Murders.

Manville explores what drew her to the role, and where she stands in her storied career.

Episode 220: Anthony Horowitz Takes A Meta Approach To Mystery Fiction In His “Magpie Murders”
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Magpie Murders.

Anthony Horowitz has written dozen of books and scores of television dramas in his lengthy career, but the task of transforming his meta mystery novel, Magpie Murders — a crime novel about writing and publishing crime novels — was especially tricky.

Fortunately for MASTERPIECE viewers, the resulting series is a delight, and the author explains the tricky choices he made to bring Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pünd to the screen.

Episode 219: Daisy Coulam And Tom Brittney Wrap Up Season Seven — And Look Ahead
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the Seventh Season of Grantchester.

As the seventh season of Grantchester comes to a surprisingly satisfying close, fans can be assured that the eighth season of the series is just over the horizon. Series creator and head writer Daisy Coulam and series lead — and director! — Tom Brittney return to the podcast to wrap up and look ahead.

Episode 218: Grantchester Mainstay Tessa Peake-Jones Tackles A Tough Season
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the Seventh Season of Grantchester.

The stubborn Mrs. C — Sylvia Chapman — is a centerpiece of the Grantchester family. Her unexpected medical troubles this seventh season leave her and the entire vicarage at a loss. Fortunately, Tessa Peake-Jones is more than able to find the emotional center of her character's difficult moments.

Episode 217: Grantchester Casting Director Alex Irwin Makes Murderers Every Episode
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of the Seventh Season of Grantchester.

There's a rotating cast of murderers — and murder victims — on every episode of Grantchester. But where do the actors come from who populate the Cambridgeshire rogues’ gallery? Longtime series casting director Alex Irwin reveals how she casts a show.

Episode 216: Tom Brittney Heads Behind The Camera For A Change on Grantchester
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Seventh Season of Grantchester.

Grantchester lead Tom Brittney already took a big leap in leading a series after a beloved main character left — and now, he takes on a new challenge in directing that show, too. The actor and director returns to the podcast for a very cinematic conversation about where he draws inspiration behind and in front of the camera.

Episode 215: Daisy Coulam Sees A Tonal Shift In Grantchester Season Seven
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of the Seventh Season of Grantchester.

Maybe it’s the season, maybe it’s real-world changes, maybe it’s the tide — but Grantchester head writer and series creator Daisy Coulam feels a positive vibe in the seventh iteration of her character-driven murder mystery. True, there’s still murder — but things are looking up for Will, Geordie, and their found families.

Episode 214: Sarah Solemani Seeds Modern Moments in Vintage Anti-Fascist Fable
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Ridley Road.

Both sides of Sarah Solemani’s family have roots in the Ridley Road area of London, so when she read author Jo Bloom’s haunting novel, Ridley Road, she saw personal elements in the story. Still, the narrative on screen in her new miniseries — a young Jewish woman caught up in anti-fascist espionage — casts a wider and more thrilling net.

Episode 213: After A Busy New Season, Rose Williams Is Ready For Charlotte’s Next Big Moves
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of Season Two of Sanditon.

Charlotte Heywood is finally able to properly grieve her sense of loss, but the choices she makes at the end of this second season are surprising, to say the least. Rose Williams is ready for the story still to come in Season Three.

Episode 212: Crystal Clarke Knows Georgiana Is Ready To Be Her Truest Self
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of Season Two of Sanditon.

Sanditon's Crystal Clarke discusses the journey that she and the series' creators undertook to give her West Indian heiress character, Miss Georgiana Lambe, a richer and more authentic development in this second season of the show.

Episode 211: Rosie Graham Turns Back To The Romantics For Her Alison Heywood
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of Season Two of Sanditon.

Alison Heywood is a newcomer to the up and coming resort town of Sanditon, and like her older sister Charlotte before her, she finds the entire experience to be a thrill. Rosie Graham is also new to the scene, and she used Alison's love of romantic novels and poetry to find the character's plucky drive.

Episode 210: Charlotte Spencer's Lady Babington Is Now A More Open-Minded Hermit Crab
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the Season Two of Sanditon.

The Lady Esther Babington that returns to Sanditon is a softer, more open-minded woman than the biting character we knew before. Granted, her razor sharp wit remains, but Charlotte Spencer is glad to guide her character to a more loving place of grace this season.

Episode 209: Turlough Convery Is Proud Of Arthur Parker For Emerging From His Cocoon
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of Season Two of Sanditon.

Arthur Parker is the life of any party in Sandtion — and much of that has to do with the charm of actor Turlough Convery.

While many of his castmates would love to play his role, Convery brings a special approach to the happy youngest Parker sibling.

Episode 208: Justin Young Welcomes Us Back To Sanditon With Open Arms
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of the Season Two of Sanditon.

Sanditon head writer Justin Young is as thrilled as you are to return to the most desirable destination on the south English coast. He returns to the podcast as well for a preview of the period drama’s second season of romance and intrigue, and offers his thanks to the passion and commitment of the series' many active fans.

Episode 207: Two Seasons In, Nicholas Ralph Feels Even More At Home
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Seven of Season Two of All Creatures Great and Small.

The final episode of the second season of All Creatures Great and Small is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. That delicate balance is thanks to the work of series lead Nicholas Ralph, who feels right at home in the Yorkshire Dales.

With two more seasons of the series on the way, Ralph looks ahead to the next chapter.

Episode 206: Helen Knows She Has To Live The Life She Wants —And So Does Rachel Shenton
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of Season Two of All Creatures Great and Small.

At the end of another season of All Creatures Great and Small (though don’t fret — there’s still the Christmas Special!), Helen Alderson is still thinking about marriage — but now in an entirely new light. Rachel Shenton takes a sensible, sensitive approach to her character, and she explains some of Helen's hopes and fears after a busy season on the Dales.

Episode 205: Sam West And Callum Woodhouse — The Fraternal Farnons — Call An Audible
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of Season Two of All Creatures Great and Small.

The Brothers Farnon have a fraught relationship — but viewers can rest assured that the actors who play them don't have those same struggles. All Creatures Great and Small stars Samuel West and Callum Woodhouse return to the podcast to explain how they locate that family tension on screen.

Episode 204: As The New Mrs. Pumphrey, Patricia Hodge Feels Just As Familiar
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of Season Two of All Creatures Great and Small.

The All Creatures Great and Small cast sadly had to say goodbye to the remarkable Dame Diana Rigg after the first season of the series.

Luckily for them — and for all of us — the phenomenal Patricia Hodge slips into the elegant role of Mrs. Pumphrey with a practiced ease. Hodge explores Darrowby, theatre, and Derek in a new interview.

Episode 203: Darrowby Newcomer Dorothy Atkinson Is Right At Home In The Dales
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of Season Two of All Creatures Great and Small.

In a buzzy new season of All Creatures Great and Small, sassy divorcée Dorothy Brompton is a breath of fresh air. So, too, is actor Dorothy Atkinson, who brings her peppy charm to the podcast.

Episode 202: Don't Worry — Ben Vanstone Really Does Love Animals
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Season Two of All Creatures Great and Small.

The soothing, gentle nature of All Creatures Great and Small renders the pain and struggles of ordinary life in warm, calming tones. Much of that comes from the series' original author, Alf Wight, but it also comes from executive producer and head writer Ben Vanstone. He explains how he plans each cycle of the show — and his genuine, real-life love of animals.

Episode 201: David Tennant Has A Podcast — And He Came On Ours, Too
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Around the World in 80 Days.

The fabulously talented David Tennant is well known to MASTERPIECE viewers — he hosted MASTERPIECE Contemporary more than a decade ago, and has appeared on plenty of MASTERPIECE and MASTERPIECE Mystery! titles throughout the years — but his role in the sweeping new adaptation of Jules Vernes' Around the World in 80 Days is a thrilling return to form.

Tennant previews the ongoing series, and looks ahead to the rest of the quest to come in a new conversation.

Episode 200: Making Sanditon, Episode Three: The New Men Of Sanditon
There’s romance afoot on the Sanditon shores, with five new male characters heading to the resort in the upcoming second season.

Who are these new male characters, and where are they looking for love? And what does it mean to be a Man of Sanditon — an Austen romantic hero? We find out in the final Making Sanditon preview podcast.

Episode 199: Making Sanditon, Episode Two: Rose Williams
While we’re all looking forward to the return to Sanditon, there’s no one more excited than series lead actor, Rose Williams.

Williams returns to the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast to look ahead at the second and third seasons of the series and offer a hint of what’s still to come for the adventurous Charlotte Heywood.

Episode 198: Making Sanditon, Episode One: The Return
You already know that Sanditon is coming back to PBS screens — but just what will happen in the seaside resort when the curtain finally raises after two years of waiting?

A few members of the series’ creative team explore the stories still to come on the upcoming second and third seasons in the first of three special preview podcast episodes from MASTERPIECE Studio.

Episode 197: Tom Brittney And Daisy Coulam Gear Up For Season Seven
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Eight of Season 6 of Grantchester.

As Grantchester wraps its serialized sixth season, series creator Daisy Coulam is already hard at work on the seventh season. Among other new elements, the upcoming season features a new director at the helm — series star Tom Brittney.

Coulam and Brittney preview the new season ahead, and unpack the season that just closed, in a new podcast.

Episode 196: Miss Scott — And Melissa Johns — Bring Charm And Wit In Spades
The police force in Grantchester is all men — with the notable exception of the sixth season’s bright new regular, the sassy secretary, Miss Scott.

Melissa Johns’ snappy assistant can match wits with the best of them, and the actor and disability advocate reveals how she does it in a new conversation.

Episode 195: Fiona Shaw Is Utterly Unstoppable
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of Season Two of Baptiste.

The brilliant Fiona Shaw is already a regular guest on MASTERPIECE programs, but this is her first interview on MASTERPIECE Studio — a format that she takes to with ease, like so much else in her storied career.

In the challenging second season of Baptiste, Shaw plays Emma Chambers, the no-nonsense British Ambassador to Hungary, who more than holds her own with inspector Julien Baptiste.

Episode 194: Al Weaver Still Learns From Playing Leonard Finch
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for the third episode of the sixth season of Grantchester.

After six seasons in a single role, you might think Al Weaver has fully centered his performance as literary village curate Leonard Finch. But in this serialized sixth season, there's still emotional and dramatic depth to uncover, which Weaver does with great skill. Weaver explains what he's learned about himself in playing Leonard, and what it felt like to film in the midst of a pandemic.

Episode 193: Grantchester Executive Producer Emma Kingsman-Lloyd Knows Where All The Bodies Are Buried
Warning: This podcast contains spoilers for the first episode of the sixth season of Grantchester.

In the six seasons of Grantchester, the action has mainly centered on the titular village, along with crime in nearby Cambridge.

For the first episode of Season 6, executive producer Emma Kingsman-Lloyd and head writer Daisy Coulam shift the action to a nostalgic British holiday camp — with murder and drama to spare.

Episode 192: Mark Bonnar Thinks No Character Is Unredeemable
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episodes Three and Four of Season One of Guilt.

In Guilt, Mark Bonnar’s snide, crafty Max is far from sympathetic. But the veteran actor thinks even Max is redeemable in the end. Bonnar discusses Max and making this season — and the next — of Guilt in a new conversation.

Episode 191: Jamie Sives Brings His Own Charm — And His Own Clothes — To Play The Hapless Jake
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episodes One and Two of Season One of Guilt.

Guilt stars Jamie Sives and Mark Bonnar are old friends from high school, so it isn't hard to imagine them as their bickering on-screen characters. Sives explores the intricacies of the series’ tricky plot and more in a new interview.

Episode 190: Chris Lang Made Himself Cry By The End Of Unforgotten Season Four
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the Fourth Season of Unforgotten.

The truly tragic ending of the fourth season of Unforgotten made series creator and head writer Chris Lang tear up as he wrote it. Lang talks through the twisty fourth season of his series and looks ahead to what's in store for the planned fifth season of his modern-day crime drama.

Episode 189: Us Star Tom Hollander Doesn’t Shirk From A Less Than Likable Lead Role
Douglas Petersen is prickly. The biochemist and father of one is picky, nervous and reluctant to change his mind. Tom Hollander sees his job as the actor playing a character like Douglas is, in part, to make him relatable — which he does, of course, in spades.

Hollander talks Douglas, Us, and how to find the humanity and the humor in a difficult role.

Episode 188: Saskia Reeves Plays A Sunny Optimist On A European Travelogue
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Us. The sun-dappled European exploits of Douglas and Connie Petersen and their son Albie in Us mask a shifting truth at the heart of their gradually crumbling marriage.

As Connie, MASTERPIECE favorite Saskia Reeves is a joy to behold, and she brings that spark to a new interview.

Episode 187: A Look Behind The Real Story Of FDR And Martha
As Atlantic Crossing comes to a close, series creator, co-writer and director Alexander Eik joins lead actors Sofia Helin and Kyle MacLachlan for an intimate exploration of the truth behind the fictionalized historical drama.

Though Crown Princess Martha never became Queen, her story still has impact today.

Episode 186: “Atlantic Crossing”: Family — And FDR — Drew Kyle MacLachlan To MASTERPIECE
The chance to play legendary American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one big reason for Kyle MacLachlan to sign on to Atlantic Crossing. But it was the story of the young Norwegian Royal Family at the heart of the miniseries that made him commit to the role.

MacLachlan explores Roosevelt, Agent Dale Cooper, and wine with lifelong Twin Peaks fan, MASTERPIECE Studio host Jace Lacob.

Episode 185: “Atlantic Crossing”: Sofia Helin Shines As Crown Princess Martha Of Norway
Norwegian Crown Princess Martha was born in Sweden, but Swedish actor Sofia Helin didn’t know her story until she signed on to play the quiet royal in Atlantic Crossing.

But after coming on board the miniseries, Helin helped shape the story of the little-known Princess, bringing a surprising light to her powerful story. Helin discusses royalty, FDR, and Saga Noren of Broen in a new interview.

Episode 184: “Atlantic Crossing”: Screenwriter Alexander Eik Brings Forgotten WWII History To Life
For American viewers, the story of Norway's Crown Princess Märtha is likely mostly unknown. But the Crown Princess' World War II influence was a surprise even for Atlantic Crossing co-writer and director Alexander Eik, who spent almost seven years researching his miniseries.

Eik explains how he found the key to Märtha's story, and what viewers should anticipate in the next seven episodes, in a new interview.

Episode 183: Making MASTERPIECE, Episode Three: The “Downton” Effect
Even if you haven’t been watching MASTERPIECE every Sunday for the past 50 years, there’s a very good chance you tuned in to watch Downton Abbey. The six-season epic brought renewed attention to the drama anthology series when it first aired more than a decade ago, and we look back at the interconnected lives of the Crawley clan and their servants with a few of the people who helped the title turn heads and claim awards.

And in this final episode of our three-part docuseries, we explore how MASTERPIECE might continue to evolve for the next 50 years, tackling the challenges and opportunities still ahead.

Episode 182: Making MASTERPIECE, Episode Two: Minorpiece Theatre
Masterpiece Theatre enters its third decade and settles in under its third executive producer, Rebecca Eaton, as new challenges pop up to make the Boston-based anthology series’ life a touch more difficult.

Cable TV competition, shifting public taste, and limited funding lead Eaton and her team to make dramatic changes at the dawn of the new century. Fortunately for public TV viewers, those changes come just in time to scoop up some unlikely new hits — from Middlemarch and The Buccaneers to Prime Suspect and beyond, including a certain family drama set in a fancy Yorkshire estate…

Episode 181: Making MASTERPIECE, Episode One: The Beginning
Five decades is a long time for any television series to air, but when a show hits 50, it’s possible some people might start asking questions about where it all started. That’s where this podcast comes in.

Fifty years ago, a group of public television producers in Boston had the inspired idea to import British costume drama for American audiences. But they didn’t come up with the idea on their own — there’s a former FCC Chair, a popular soap opera, and a Polaroid exec with Julia Child’s The French Chef on his mind involved, too.

For three episodes, Making MASTERPIECE will show how the most unexpected and unlikely of series — Masterpiece Theatre — grew into one of the longest-running primetime television icons of all time. What are its origins? What actors, writers, and executives shaped its trajectory? How has it overcome numerous challenges? And what does it have in store for its future, 50 years on?

Episode 180: Bonus: Nicholas Ralph Previews Season Two of All Creatures Great and Small
Now that the first season of All Creatures Great and Small has come to a close, what should viewers expect in the already-confirmed second season?

Series star Nicholas Ralph returns to the podcast for a quick look back on Season One, and an exclusive preview of the season rapidly on the way!

Episode 179: Rachel Shenton Wants Helen To Have A Chance For Fun In Season Two
Helen Alderson takes care of almost everyone in the farming village of Darrowby — but actor Rachel Shenton thinks the confirmed second season of All Creatures Great and Small should give Helen some time for herself.

Shenton defends her character’s choices and praises her costumes in a new interview.

Episode 178: Tamara Lawrance Shines In Powerful “Long Song” Lead Role
The story of Miss July is ultimately a story of strength and perseverance following years of trauma and pain.

Lead actor Tamara Lawrance brings strength to her portrayal of July, who goes from slave to memoirist in colonial British Jamaica. Lawrance reflects on the role, and the hope of The Long Song, in a new interview.

Episode 177: Eliza Scarlet — And Kate Phillips — Is Always In Full Control Of The Scene
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the Season 1 of Miss Scarlet and the Duke.

A female private detective in Victorian London seems anachronistic — but Eliza Scarlet more than holds her own on the grimy streets of the British capital. Kate Phillips is a witty delight in the title role, and she brings that zest to the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast.

Episode 176: Anna Madeley Keeps Skeldale House In Working Order

Even casual viewers of All Creatures Great and Small can see the obvious head honcho in Skeldale House — the unshakeable Audrey Hall.

Series star Anna Madeley relishes playing the role, and she joins the podcast to reveal a bit of the confident Mrs. Hall’s inner grit and grace.

Episode 175: Remembering Dame Diana Rigg, A True MASTERPIECE Icon
Dame Diana Rigg has been a MASTERPIECE regular for decades. From her Emmy Award-winning role in the 1997 adaptation of Rebecca to her years-long host duty on Mystery!, Rigg brought her charm and considerable gravitas to PBS TV screens for years.

Rigg passed away in September 2020, making her role as the elegant Mrs. Pumphrey one of her very last. The All Creatures Great and Small cast pays tribute to Rigg, along with some of her other MASTERPIECE friends and castmates.

Episode 174: Take It From Samuel West — The Real Siegfried Farnon Was Just As Quirky
Siegfried Farnon is a difficult man to live with — and Donald Sinclair, the real life Yorkshire veterinarian he’s based on, was just as unusual.

All Creatures Great and Small star Samuel West used Alf Wight’s memoir series and personal anecdotes from those who knew Sinclair to build his character, and he shares some of those stories in a new podcast interview.

Episode 173: Callum Woodhouse Can’t Keep Away From Animal Shows Set In The 1930s
MASTERPIECE fans already know Callum Woodhouse for his role as the shotgun-happy middle Durrell sibling, Leslie Durrell.

Now, he’s back on our screens in a different bucolic locale of the 1930s — the gorgeous Yorkshire Dales, playing the dastardly Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. Woodhouse promises he didn’t plan it this way, but we’re glad to have him on air and here on the podcast.

Coming Soon: Making MASTERPIECE Documentary Miniseries

Making MASTERPIECE is the full story of how public media’s favorite place for the best of British drama went from crazy idea to a franchise 50 years strong. Hosted by MASTERPIECE Studio host Jace Lacob, the three-part documentary miniseries features the inside scoop on everything from Downton Abbey to Upstairs, Downstairs, and everything in between.

Featuring exclusive interviews with MASTERPIECE favorites like Rufus Sewell, Lily Collins, Alan Cumming, Laura Linney, Charles Dance and many more, Making MASTERPIECE launches February 28, 2021. Making MASTERPIECE will appear in the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode 171: Glenda Jackson Returns To MASTERPIECE, As Gripping As Ever
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Elizabeth Is Missing.

It's not many actors who can appear in the very first season of a television anthology series, win not one but two Emmy Awards for the role, and then take a 50-year break before coming back for more.

Glenda Jackson is one such actor, and her appearance in Elizabeth Is Missing is just as powerful as any other in her storied career. Jackson talks politics and passion in a new podcast interview.

Episode 170: 50th Season Preview: What To Expect Next Year On MASTERPIECE
With new series, old favorites and even a documentary podcast special on the way for MASTERPIECE's upcoming 50th anniversary season, executive producer Susanne Simpson joins the conversation for a special preview of the dramas, mysteries, and more to come in a few short weeks.

Episode 169: Party Politics Stay Petty In Sir David Hare’s Tidy Finale
Well, who would have thought it would all end like that?

Sir David Hare gives the inside scoop on the political realities of his Roadkill series, and talks through how his own Covid-19 diagnosis was inspiration for a gripping new play.

Episode 168: Iain de Caestecker Will Let You Decide If Duncan Knock Is Good
The role of a special advisor in British politics is complicated — but Roadkill star Iain de Caestecker does quick work of explaining the job, and his character, Duncan Knock, in a charming interview.

As to whether or not viewers should trust Duncan? Well, that’s still a secret.

Episode 167: Sir David Hare Plays Politics In His New Drama
Sir David Hare plays coy when asked who the slick MP Peter Laurence is meant to be in contemporary British politics.

“I’ve drawn a politician who is charismatic, popular, forward-looking, and highly intelligent,” he says, and Hare struggles to find such a figure in politics today. Hear more about the inspirations for Roadkill in a new interview.

Episode 166: Sarah Williams Didn’t Mean For Mary To Take Control Of Her Series
Sarah Williams is the kind of screenwriter who knows where she’s going when she starts writing a script. But sometimes, a character insists on taking the story in a different angle, and Imelda Staunton’s timid Mary was exactly that kind of character.

Williams shows where Mary took her, and us, in a new podcast after the dramatic conclusion of Flesh and Blood.

Episode 165: Russell Tovey Won’t Defend The Toxic Jake — But He Loved The Part
Russell Tovey can’t come up with a defense for the toxic masculinity of his character, Jake, a stunted manchild in his 30s searching for purpose in a world he feels should fall at his feet.

But the actor loved having the opportunity to play Jake, even if he keeps viewers and listeners guessing about what happens in the final episode of this intricate family drama.

Episode 164: Lydia Leonard Knows What Happened — But She Won’t Spoil The Surprise
Viewers of this intricate family drama might still be searching for answers, and Flesh and Blood star Lydia Leonard could easily put the mystery to rest in a new podcast interview.

Fortunately, the talented actor keeps viewers and listeners on their toes in a new conversation, leaving a few tantalizing crumbs as clues.

Episode 162B: Grantchester Season 5 Writers Reunite (Video)

Watch a special behind-the-scenes video of the team who help create the world of Grantchester — including Daisy Coulam, John Jackson, and Joshua St. Johnson — as they join MASTERPIECE Studio Podcast host Jace Lacob for a special bonus episode of the podcast.

Episode 162: Bonus: Grantchester Writers’ Room Reunites For Fifth Season Finale
The brilliant team who help create the world of Grantchester reunite in a special bonus podcast episode to explore the themes and characters who made the fifth season sparkle.

Plus, creator Daisy Coulam offers some tantalizing hints of the just-confirmed sixth season on the way.

Episode 161: Robson Green And Tom Brittney Toast To A Thrilling Fifth Season
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the fifth season of Grantchester.

With a toast, a birthday and gentle ribbing, we come to a close on Grantchester's fifth season. But that's not all for series stars Tom Brittney and Robson Green, who join the podcast for a special season wrap-up — with previews of the sixth season yet on the horizon.

Episode 160: Shocked? Grantchester Creator Daisy Coulam Thought You’d Be
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the fifth season of Grantchester.

A stunning revelation in the village of Grantchester leaves everybody at a loss for words — but Grantchester series creator Daisy Coulam was plotting this moment the entire season. Coulam returns to the podcast for a conversation about change, growth and thematic consistency in her charming series.

Episode 159: Lauren Carse Has The Inside Scoop On Ellie Harding
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of the fifth season of Grantchester.

Ellie Harding is a bold newcomer on the Grantchester green, digging for front page scoops in the murderous little village. Actor Lauren Carse loved Ellie's modern, career-minded character, and she joined the podcast for a conversation on romance, rumors, and Meryl Streep.

Episode 158: Christiana Ebohon-Green Brings Classic Cinematic Flair Behind The Camera
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 3 of the fifth season of Grantchester.

After a particularly cinematic episode of Grantchester, we head behind the camera for a conversation with episode director Christiana Ebohon-Green. With hints of classic film noir and Hollywood’s golden age sprinkled throughout a classic picture house crime scene, Ebohon-Green reveals where she and the creative team turned for inspiration.

Episode 157: Ollie Dimsdale Sees Bright Things In Daniel Marlowe's Future
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 2 of the fifth season of Grantchester.

The quiet charm of Leonard Finch and Daniel Marlowe's blossoming romance has been an unexpected highlight of the last few seasons of Grantchester. Even actor Ollie Dimsdale, who brings Daniel to life, is surprised by the strength of his character's long-running narrative arc. He explores the past — and future — here.

Episode 156: Tom Brittney Rides Back Onto The Village Green
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 1 of the fifth season of Grantchester.

It's the fifth season of Grantchester, and series lead Tom Brittney is firmly in control in his role as Rev. Will Davenport. He's also — in a change — in control of his on-screen motorcycle, having finally obtained his bike license. Brittany joins the podcast to explore the first episode back and to look ahead at the season ahead.

Episode 155: As War Expands, Peter Bowker And Zofia Wichłacz Return At Season's End
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Seven of the first season of World on Fire.

After a stunning first season finale, World on Fire lead Zofia Wichłacz and series creator Peter Bowker return for another new podcast conversation, wrapping up the drama of Season 1 and looking forward to the thrill of the second season already in the works.

Episode 154: Brian J. Smith’s American In Paris Helps Ground Global Drama
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of the first season of World on Fire.

In the international cast of World On Fire, Nancy Campbell and her nephew, Webster O’Connor, are two Americans facing the perils of a looming war. Actor Brian J. Smith found something of himself in the romantic character he plays on the series, and he shared stories from set in a new interview.

Episode 153: Julia Brown Borrows From Family History For Her Lois Bennett
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of the first season of World On Fire.

During World War II, Julia Brown's grandmother was a jazz singer, which gave the World On Fire star a broad starting point for her fiercely independent character, Lois Bennett. But in Brown's hands, Lois is a strong and sharply independent young woman looking for adventures of her own.

Episode 152: Peter Bowker Paints Intimate Portraits Of A World At War 
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of the first season of World On Fire.

A World War II documentary helped spur Peter Bowker to create his multi-layered, international drama World On Fire. With a season of the series dedicated to every year of the global war, the creator offers new insight into his first year, and subtle previews of the season still on the horizon.

Episode 151: Zofia Wichłacz Adds Fire To Kasia's Grief
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of the first season of World On Fire.

From a summer romance in beautiful prewar Warsaw to a rebel resistance in the rubble of her struggling city at war, young Polish waitress Kasia Tomaszeski has seen a life's worth of trauma in a few brief episodes.

Actor Zofia Wichłacz was prepared for the dark role, but warns in a new interview — there's still more pain to come for Kasia.

Episode 150: The Real-Life War Correspondent Who Inspired Helen Hunt's Nancy Campbell
Warning: This episode contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 1 of World On Fire.

If World On Fire's Nancy Campbell seems familiar, it's more than just the fact that she is played by Academy Award-winning actor Helen Hunt. The no-nonsense war correspondent was based in part on the legendary Clare Hollingworth, and in this special episode of the podcast, we share Hollingworth's own memories of the German invasion of Poland in 1939.

Episode 149: Anne Reid Rather Dislikes Her Stubborn Lady Denham
Actor Anne Reid is quick to remind anyone listening that her Sanditon character, Lady Denham, is a terrible, grouchy miser. But the legendary actor herself is anything but — and her interview here is a charming farewell to the first season of the series.

Episode 148: Andrew Davies’ Sanditon Is An Austen Tale Only He Could Create
Screenwriter Andrew Davies has already adapted Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Emma for television — but his new iteration of the author’s tragically unfinished final novel, Sanditon is a creation distinctly his own.

Davies reveals how he found the plot in Austen’s 24,000-word fragment, and what he embellished on his own in creating the new series.

Episode 147: From The Sea To The City: Sanditon Heads To London
For the first time since her journey from Willingden, Charlotte Haywood leaves the town of Sanditon, heading to London in pursuit of her kidnapped friend, Miss Georgiana Lambe.

Series stars Theo James, Rose Williams, and Crystal Clarke join Sanditon creator Andrew Davies in a special podcast episode exploring the misty streets of Regency-era London, and offering previews of the final two episodes on the way.

Episode 146: Charlotte Spencer Is Everything Esther Denham Is Not
Esther Denham has few friends in Sanditon, and even her wolfish step-brother, Sir Edward, seems to prefer the company of others more than he does his sharp-tongued step-sister.

So it’s a charming surprise to speak with actor Charlotte Spencer, who truly is everything that Esther is not.

Episode 145: Bonus: Rose Williams And Crystal Clarke, Beachside BFFS
In a special bonus episode of MASTERPIECE Studio, Sanditon stars Rose Williams and Crystal Clarke reunite in the studio to answer a few of your viewer questions about the series, their friendship, and the difficulties of wearing Regency-era corsets.

Episode 144: Crystal Clarke’s Miss Georgiana Lambe Isn’t The Only One Code Switching
Crystal Clarke is not the first major character of color to appear in a MASTERPIECE production — but the American-born actor thinks it’s high time more period dramas offered a broader range of history than currently on view.

Clarke talks pineapples, code-switching, and the sadness of Miss Lambe in a brand new interview.

Episode 143: Theo James Plays A Romantic Lead With An Aversion To Romance
The dashing Sidney Parker floats in and out of his brother Tom's seaside enterprise of Sanditon with barely a word besides.

But Theo James — already a MASTERPIECE fan favorite from his memorable role in the first season of Downton Abbey — has plenty to say about this new series and his Sanditon character's seemingly icy resolve.

Episode 142: Rose Williams’ Charlotte Heywood Is A Bold Austen Heroine For A New Era
As she prepared for her role as the ambitious Charlotte Heywood in MASTERPIECE’s Sanditon, actor Rose Williams went deep into Jane Austen’s literary catalogue of heroines. Her Charlotte is an entirely new creation, and one that both respects the Austen pantheon and brings new light to familiar literary tropes.

Williams looks ahead to the exciting action yet to come, and gives special insight to this story by the sea.

Episode 141: Debbie Horsfield And Robin Ellis Say Goodbye To Poldark
For Poldark creator, head writer, and executive producer Debbie Horsfield, there was never any question as to whether or not the original Ross Poldark, Robin Ellis, would come back for the series finale of her adaptation of Winston Graham's novels.

Horsfield and Ellis both say goodbye to Ross and company in a final podcast episode.

Episode 140: Kerri McLean Knew Kitty Despard’s True Story Couldn’t Be Ignored
Catherine Despard was a real-life abolitionist and activist whose story is often ignored — or erased altogether — in the history books.

That sense of responsibility gave actor Kerri McLean a real motivation in her performance as Kitty in this final season of Poldark.

Episode 139: The Durrells Say Goodbye To Corfu
After four years and four seasons of television, Louisa, Larry, Leslie, Margo and Gerry Durrell are leaving Corfu.

It's a departure that's true to life, like much of the sunny series, and actors Callum Woodhouse, Daisy Waterstone and Milo Parker join The Durrells in Corfu creator Simon Nye to reflect on the fantastic family at the heart of it all.

Episode 138: Harry Richardson's Drake Carne Is Cornwall's Resident Labrador Puppy
During his time living with his sister, Demelza and his brother-in-law, Ross, Drake Carne has come close to death many times. After years of struggle and strife, however, things finally seem to be looking up for the earnest blacksmith.

Actor Harry Richardson sees his constantly optimistic character as most similar to a well-meaning, but utterly inept labrador puppy. He defends his quasi-canine counterpart in a new interview.

Episode 137: Beatie Edney Remains The One True Queen Of Nampara
Prudie Paynter might be the world's most ineffective housemaid, but she's a loyal friend and a true source of humor, both on screen and off.

Actor Beatie Edney has made a name for herself on the Poldark set as one to drive her fellow castmates into laughter mid-scene. Edney might pretend to be serious, but her interview proves she can make anybody laugh.

Episode 136: Jack Farthing Finds Nuance In Sir George's Grief
Jack Farthing's Sir George Warleggan is the obvious villain in Poldark, and he brings his share of villainy to this final season of the series.

But for Farthing, Sir George's complicated response to personal trauma has lent his portrayal a surprising human layer that the actor reveals in a new interview.

Episode 135: A Ghostly Heida Reed Floats Back To Cornwall
Actor Heida Reed played Elizabeth in the first four seasons of Poldark, but her character's early death in childbirth was a tragic ending to the fourth season. So her spectral appearance in Sir George Warleggan’s grief-stricken mind this season was a welcome surprise for Elizabeth's fans.

Reed returns to the podcast to discuss how it felt to return to set as an idealized and imaginary Elizabeth.

Episode 134: Writer Simon Nye And The Durrells Get One More Round In Corfu
Simon Nye, the creator and head writer of The Durrells In Corfu, doesn’t see Gerald Durrell’s books as necessarily sacrosanct, but his fictionalized family is awfully similar to the Durrells’ actual four years in Greece.

Now, as the fourth and final season begins, Nye joins us for a conversation exploring the family’s journey from page to screen, with a special preview of what remains for everyone’s favorite Bournemouth Britons in sunny exile overseas.

Episode 133: Debbie Horsfield Covers New Ground In Poldark's Final Season
For the last five years, every season of Poldark has been based upon at least one of Winston Graham's original novels. For the fifth and final season, however, series creator and head writer Debbie Horsfield was forced to fill in a gap of 11 years between Graham's book The Angry Tide, and the next novel, The Stranger from the Sea.

It's a challenge she took to, and she explains what she learned in creating this season's plot in a new interview here.

Episode 132: Al Weaver And Tessa Peake-Jones Remain Friends, On And Off Set
When Grantchester star Al Weaver was in drama school, his future Grantchester co-star Tessa Peake-Jones was his designated mentor. On screen this season, Weaver and Peake-Jones had a falling out — with their characters, Leonard and Mrs. C, nearly splitting after Leonard's relationship with Daniel came to light.

But in a new joint interview, the actors reveal that the hardest part of their fictional fight was not having scenes together.

Episode 131: Kacey Ainsworth's Cathy Keating Makes Her Own Way In Grantchester
Detective Geordie Keating’s put-upon wife, Cathy, has faced marital betrayal, a growing family and a murder-obsessed husband with quiet grace, but this season on Grantchester, Cathy has her own career to worry about.

Actor Kacey Ainsworth talks about working with Robson Green, the pleasures of a lived-in fictional marriage, and how Cathy will deal with her ongoing workplace harassment in the upcoming Season 4 finale.

Episode 130: Tom Brittney Is More Than Just Another Dashing Vicar
The heavy burden of replacing Grantchester lead James Norton in the village vicar’s pulpit falls to none other than Tom Brittney, and it’s a role he’s thrilled to take up.

With a warm welcome from fans and the on-set Grantchester family alike, Brittney reveals how it felt to motorcycle in to the sleepy village, and previews what secrets await viewers for the rest of this season.

Episode 129: Robson Green Reminds Us That Geordie’s Not Going Anywhere
With the recent departure of his friend and castmate James Norton from the fields and dells of Grantchester, Robson Green is quick to reassure fans of his series that his character isn’t going anywhere just yet.

As the fourth season continues along, Green describes what it meant to say goodbye to Norton, what new changes await his Geordie Keating beyond a new parish priest, and how it felt to team up with Al Weaver’s Leonard Finch on a confusing murder investigation.

Episode 128: Daisy Coulam Previews a Season of Change In Grantchester
After a two-year gap, the crime-solving Rev. Sidney Chambers of Grantchester is back on the case — only to leave the village in pursuit of love and social justice abroad.

We speak to series creator, head writer and executive producer Daisy Coulam about James Norton's final day on set, Robson Green's tearful goodbye to his on-screen partner and how it felt to write in Tom Brittney's new main character, the Rev. Will Davenport. Coulam also gives a preview of the mysteries still to come on this upcoming fourth season.

Episode 127: Shaun Evans Remains The Vital Heart Of Endeavour Morse’s Oxford
In this sixth season of Endeavour, series lead Shaun Evans slips behind the camera for a change in a dramatic second episode.

It’s a move that Evans found easy — and one he hopes to have the opportunity to continue elsewhere in his career. He explains how he did it — and how his Endeavour Morse continues to crack complicated cases — in our new interview.

Episode 126: Les Misérables Comes To A Joyous Close
After six dramatic episodes and several decades of on-screen struggle, Andrew Davies' masterful new adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables has ended.

In a special episode of MASTERPIECE Studio, we hear from Davies and series stars Dominic West and David Oyelowo about how it felt to bring the story of Jean Valjean and Javert to a close.

Episode 125: Alex Jennings Remembers A Role He’d Rather Forget
Spoiler alert: If you haven't seen the third season finale of Unforgotten, don't listen to this podcast.
Alex Jennings is already a MASTERPIECE regular, with his role as the suave King Leopold in three seasons of Victoria. He's become known for his ability to fully inhabit royal personas, such as the Duke of Windsor in Netflix's The Crown.

As Dr. Tim Finch in the third season of Unforgotten, however, Jennings got to create an entirely fictional character. But Dr. Finch wasn’t exactly the easiest of characters to play.

Episode 124: Andrew Davies Preps For The End Of One Series And The Beginning Of Another
Screenwriter Andrew Davies has been a true master of modern television adaptations, brining such iconic works as Middlemarch and Little Dorit to the MASTERPIECE screen for decades.

Now, as he looks ahead to the end of his critically-acclaimed recent adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, Davies also previews his charming new adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel Sanditon, set to appear on MASTERPIECE in 2020.

Episode 123: Lily Collins Is An Utterly Captivating Fantine
Actor Lily Collins tried her best to not lose herself in the devastating role of Les Misérables' Fantine.

Collins explains how she stayed grounded on set, where she found inspiration for her iconic tragic heroine and why her onscreen injury was all-too painfully real.

Episode 122: David Oyelowo's Javert Is A Man Who Never Forgives
In Victor Hugo's landmark epic, Les Miserables, the Inspector Javert is a hard, cold man with an unflinching pursuit of his own personal justice.

But in the critically-acclaimed new MASTERPIECE adaptation of the novel, actor and series executive producer David Oyelowo brings a subtle, sophisticated nuance to his performance, adding layers of context to this memorable villain. He joins the podcast for a preview of the villainy still to come in this this critically acclaimed series.

Episode 121: Just Like Jean Valjean, Dominic West Is Done Being A Bad Guy
After a career of playing notable villains, actor Dominic West says he’s ready to turn a new leaf. So his role as tortured thief Jean Valjean in the new MASTERPIECE production of Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Misérables, is a helpful bridge to be a better man on screen.

In this interview, West talks about what it means to play Valjean, how his character seeks personal redemption and what the rest of the series has in store for the repentant former prisoner 24601.

Episode 120: Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction In Anna Symon’s Lightly Fictionalized Mrs. Wilson
The story of Alison Wilson’s relationship with British spy novelist and actual spy, Alexander Wilson, almost seems too wild for reality and too bizarre for the author’s own fiction.

But the history, beautifully brought to life by Wilson’s granddaughter, Ruth Wilson, was real. It’s a genre-busting journey where series writer Anna Symon always sought to highlight the power of family joy in this rather dark true tale.

Episode 119: Unforgotten Creator Chris Lang Obsesses Over Small Details That Add Up To A Terrible Crime
When writer Chris Lang created the MASTERPIECE Mystery! series Unforgotten, he looked to capture the very ordinary extraordinariness of a modern police force.

With a new season on the way, Lang explains what viewers should watch out for as Cassie and Sunny unearth another unidentified body beneath a London roadway construction site.

Episode 118: Ruth Wilson Plays Her Own Grandmother In A Searing Mrs. Wilson
When actor Ruth Wilson’s grandmother Alison died, she left her family a surprisingly candid memoir about her relationship with her secret agent husband, the mystery author Alexander Wilson.

The truths that Ruth and her extended family came to learn form the backbone of the new series Mrs. Wilson. Ruth explores how it felt to play her own grandmother on screen, and what it means to be a tragedienne in film.

Episode 117: Jenna Coleman Reflects On A Truly Royal Season
Victoria star Jenna Coleman lead a smashing third season of the series, with her royal character growing in roles both maternal and majestic.

As the season wraps up, Coleman explores how the young Queen struggles to keep control of her country and her growing family, and reflects on the highlights of a thrilling eight episodes.

Episode 116: Princess Feodora Could Have Been Queen, But Kate Fleetwood Already Reigns
The scheming Princess Feodora snuck into Buckingham Palace early in the third season of Victoria, surprising her half-sister, the Queen, and continuing to lurk in the background of the royal drama.

Actor Kate Fleetwood credits her just-so German accent for helping her sink into the role, but she also acknowledges she feels a certain kind of sympathy for the dastardly half-sister with few real friends. She talks Feo, Lady Macbeth, and birthday cake in a new podcast episode.

Episode 115: King Leopold Completes A Royal Tour of Duty For Alex Jennings
Actor Alex Jennings calls himself “a common boy from Essex,” but his career on stage and screen has included at least four different royal roles.

Victoria’s scheming King Leopold offers new insight into his role on the series, where he looks for inspiration when playing real-life characters, and why he sees Leopold as both a kingmaker and a puppet master.

Episode 114: Laurence Fox Is A Devilishly Charming Lord Palmerston
Laurence Fox is well known to MASTERPIECE viewers after his eight seasons on the beloved series Lewis, so his appearance on Victoria as the devious UK Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, is a welcome return to the screen.

Fox offers hints as to how he and actor Jordan Waller got up to mischief on set, as well as how the cane-twirling Lord Palmerston came to find himself with a cane in the series.

Episode 113: Nell Hudson’s Nancy Skerrett Is A Bombe Surprise
The irascible Nancy Skerrett snuck into her job as a dresser at Buckingham Palace under an assumed name, and came to win Queen Victoria’s heart in the past three seasons of the show. And as part of the audience-favorite couple, “Skerrettelli,” actor Nell Hudson has won viewers’ hearts as well.

Hudson tells us why her Nancy Skerrett is an inspiration in her own daily life, and what she’s learned from playing so many period-drama characters in her career.

Episode 112: Lady Emma Portman Keeps All The Queen’s Secrets (And So Does Anna Wilson-Jones)
From the very first episode of MASTERPIECE’s Victoria, Lady Emma Portman has been the center of royal intrigue, even if very little of the drama focuses on her. Lady Portman knows who loves who, who spurned who, and what Queen Victoria is really thinking as political favors wax and wane.

Actor Anna Wilson-Jones relishes playing the dignified Emma, and has fun dishing the fictional royal gossip. Wilson-Jones charmingly reveals all that she knows on the podcast.

Episode 111: Ferdinand Kingsley Knows The Real Francatelli Is A Good Guy
Among the many fictional Buckingham Palace servants and staffers on MASTERPIECE's Victoria, Ferdinand Kingsley's Charles Elmé Francatelli is based on an actual royal chef and author.

Kingsley's cook is a slight bit younger — and a bit more of a rogue — than the actual Francatelli, but he's convinced his on-screen romantic pursuits are setting the character straight. Kingsley explains here — and Victoria creator, head writer, and executive producer Daisy Goodwin returns for another round of historical fact or fiction.

Episode 110: Daisy Goodwin Sketches Out Dramatic Tensions In Victoria Season Three
Victoria creator, head writer, and executive producer Daisy Goodwin already knows the real history of Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s lengthy reign on the throne. But it’s in the intimate perils of the day-to-day where her series finds its true highs and lows.

Goodwin joins MASTERPIECE Studio with a special preview of the new third season, and offers some tantalizing hints on the historical drama on the horizon for the young Queen.

Episode 109: Bonus: Poldark Writer Debbie Horsfield Looks To Fifth And Final Season
Debbie Horsfield, the executive producer and sole writer of MASTERPIECE’s Poldark, is ready for the fifth and final season of her series.

After the drama and sorrow of the series’ fourth season, she offers some hopeful hints about the story still to come.

Episode 108: No Matter What, Heida Reed Will Always Defend Elizabeth
Elizabeth Warleggan, formerly Poldark and née Chynoweth, is far from the most beloved character on Poldark. Her shifting affections, wayward alliances and confusing emotional center could drive even the most devoted fan of the series to hold Elizabeth at a distance.

But actor Heida Reed has always seen Elizabeth as a fundamentally good person, with the same flaws that any of us may try to hide. Reed offers her defense in a new interview.

Episode 107: On "The Durrells in Corfu," It's Not All Greek to Alexis Georgoulis
The dashingly charming Spiros Halikiopoulos is based on a real-life friend of the actual Durrell family during their time on the island of Corfu.

It's a big help for the cast and viewers alike that actor Alexis Georgoulis finds charm to spare in his portrayal of the unofficial mayor of the island. Georgoulis offers a special behind-the-scenes look at his work on The Durrells in Corfu.

Episode 106: BONUS: Edward Gorey's Spooky Art Isn't Such a Mystery After All
For almost 40 years, the MASTERPIECE Mystery! title sequence has offered viewers an ominous glimpse into the dark unknown. It's a vision made real by the masterful work of illustrator and author Edward Gorey, and his fictional affiliation with the criminal world continues in a special mystery-themed exhibit at the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port, MA.

In a special bonus Halloween episode of MASTERPIECE Studio, producer Nick Andersen visits the Edward Gorey House to learn more about the man behind Mystery!'s uncommonly deadly masonry. Edward Gorey House curator Gregory Hischak offers his insight.

Episode 105: "Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget": Christian Brassington's Vile Rev. Osborne Whitworth
In lemon silks and too-tight breeches, the Reverend Osborne Whitworth is the gaudiest member of Poldark’s core cast. With extravagant tastes and a limited budget, the Reverend turns to darker quarters to fulfill his incessant appetites.

Actor Christian Brassington, who put on more than 35 pounds to play the hefty Ossie, used careful voicework to find his place in the character — along with a diet of more than 3,500 calories per day. Hear the true story behind one of Poldark’s most reprehensible characters here.

Episode 104: Pip Torrens' Uncle Cary Is The Devil On George Warleggan's Shoulder
While nobody in Cornwall seems to necessarily enjoy the company of one George Warleggan, even fewer appreciate his nasty uncle, Cary. As the sneering devil on George’s shoulder, Cary pushes George to be his worst self. So it’s a special treat to hear the care and thought that actor Pip Torrens puts into his icy portrayal of Cary Warleggan. He joins us to talk wigs, Cornish accents, and how it feels to play an out-and-out bad guy.

Episode 103: The Tragic Romance Of Josh Whitehouse's Hugh Armitage
Poldark's Josh Whitehouse plays the dashing Lt. Hugh Armitage with an eye on the opportunity for capital 'R' Romance. But his character's loyalties — and divided affections — heighten the stakes for the young actor, and often leave him searching for new motivations.

In a new interview, Whitehouse talks Demelza, sand dunes, and more.

Episode 102: Debbie Horsfield Only Had One Man In Mind To Play Her “Poldark”
Debbie Horsfield is the only writer of every episode of MASTERPIECE’s Poldark, so she definitely knows what’s on the horizon in the series’ fourth season. Secrets, lies, and parliamentary politics come to Cornwall in a big way this season.

Horsfield — who is also one of the series' executive producers — offers a sneak preview of the surprises still to come, and reveals why Aidan Turner was always the only actor she would cast as Ross.

Episode 101: 100 Episodes, 100 Stories
In celebration of the 100th episode of MASTERPIECE Studio, we bring some of our favorite moments from our conversations with MASTERPIECE’s actors and creative talents.

From Downton Abbey to Unforgotten and everything in between, we’re delighted to share highlights — including some as-of-yet unheard extras! — from our first 100 episodes. Here’s to the next 100!

Episode 100: Grantchester Reveals New Character, New Season Theme
The beloved MASTERPIECE Mystery! series Grantchester is set to return to your screens in summer 2019. In the upcoming fourth season of the show, lead actor James Norton — and his character, the Rev. Sidney Chambers — is set to leave the idyllic Cambridgeshire village. Taking his place in the parish is actor Tom Brittney, who will play the Rev. Will Davenport, an affable, energetic new arrival on the village green.

In an exclusive interview with MASTERPIECE Studio, Grantchester creator Daisy Coulam reveals what to expect in the upcoming fourth season, and what fans can look forward to with their new parish priest.

Episode 99: Julian Morris Isn't Afraid To Play Complicated Characters
Actor Julian Morris is known for his darker characters — psychopaths, social outcasts and the like, who float around the edges of decent, common society. He says he loves the bombast such roles offer, but the pain and shame of his character Adam Berryman in the new MASTERPIECE/BBC drama Man In An Orange Shirt is a different kind of challenge.

Morris reveals what drew him to the role, what is was like to work with Vanessa Redgrave, and more.

Episode 98: Emily Watson Means To Be More Like Marmee
After her role as Marmee in the MASTERPIECE adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, actor Emily Watson has increasingly found herself wondering why she can't parent more like the March family matriarch. Marmee is wise, forgiving and subtle, and allows her four daughters to grow and learn from their mistakes. Watson revisits the novel and the role, as well as her Oscar-nominated film debut, in a frank and intimate conversation.

Episode 97: Cinematic Sisterhood Was Simple For Annes Elwy and Willa Fitzgerald
Annes Elwy and Willa Fitzgerald play two of the four beloved March sisters at the heart of the latest MASTERPIECE adaptation of Little Women, and their familial closeness echoes throughout our interview with the young actors.

The on-screen sisters describe how they and the rest of the series’ cast bonded behind the scenes, and how their classic characters were granted a modern sense of discovery in writer Heidi Thomas’ elegant version of Louisa May Alcott’s charmed family.

Episode 96: Unpacking A Shocking Unforgotten Second Season Finale
The Unforgotten detectives solved another cold-case murder. But the conclusion of the series' second season was far from neat.

Lead actors Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar join the podcast for a look back at a surprising conclusion, and peek ahead at the upcoming third season, currently in production.

Episode 95: Maya Hawke And Jonah Hauer-King Can’t Stop Making Each Other Laugh
For actors Maya Hawke and Jonah Hauer-King — Little Women’s Jo March and Laurie Lawrence, respectively — watching a reel of outtakes from shooting became a reminder of how much they make each other laugh. Hawke and Hauer-King bring that infectious spirit to a joint interview on the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast.

Episode 94: Angela Lansbury Is A Woman Of Her Time In Little Women
Dame Angela Lansbury has been an acting icon for more than 70 years, bringing character and charm to stage and screen alike. The brand new MASTERPIECE adaptation of Little Women, where she plays the peppery Aunt March, is her first appearance with our program.

She takes us through highlights of her prodigious career, reveals what she learned on the Little Women set, and gives a preview of her role in the upcoming film, Mary Poppins Returns.

Episode 93: Heidi Thomas Makes Alcott’s Words Shine In New Little Women Adaptation
Writer Heidi Thomas is already plenty busy with the upcoming eighth and ninth seasons of her smash-hit series Call the Midwife — but she knew she couldn’t say no when Louisa May Alcott came knocking. Adapting the author’s classic novel Little Women into a new television series would be a big challenge for Thomas, or any writer. It’s one the longtime fan of Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg March knew she could handle. Thomas explains what she had to cut from the novel and just how icy her Amy’s frozen pond adventure really was.

Episode 92: Sanjeev Bhaskar Still Can’t Quite Believe He’s In Unforgotten
By his own estimation, Sanjeev Bhaskar started acting relatively late in life.  He gives a telling preview of the stunning second season of Unforgotten, and explains how his zany breakout comedy The Kumars at No. 42 played better in the United States than it did in his native U.K.

Episode 91: Benedict Cumberbatch Strives For Simple Answers In Complex Child Drama
Benedict Cumberbatch heads the cast of The Child in Time — and his new production company took the lead behind the scenes, as well.

It's not Cumberbatch's first experience with author Ian McEwan's work — he appeared in the 2007 feature film Atonement. Like so many readers, Cumberbatch appreciates the "cinematic" qualities of McEwan's novels. The busy actor stopped by for a chat about time, trauma, and the subtle beauties of the everyday.  

Episode 90: Unforgotten Star Nicola Walker Admits She’d Make A Terrible Criminal
Nicola Walker leads the crime-fighting duo on the new MASTERPIECE Mystery! drama Unforgotten. But the series’ complicated cold-case investigations surprise even her as they unfold week after week.

Walker shares stories of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Broadway, and why she could never be counted on to keep a criminal secret.

Episode 89: Kelly Macdonald’s Emotional Turn In The Child In Time Was "Dead Easy"
In her role as the bereaved mother Julie in the new MASTERPIECE drama The Child In Time, actor Kelly Macdonald admits a certain distance from the emotional tension of the part.

Her acting partner and executive producer Benedict Cumberbatch worked hard to make the set a happy place for all involved, Macdonald says. She takes us behind the scenes of The Child in Time, Gosford Park, and so much more.

Episode 88: Heidi Thomas Prepares To Call The Midwife, Again
For six years and six seasons of television, screenwriter Heidi Thomas has explored the challenges of 1950s-era British midwifery.

Now, as the seventh season of her PBS drama Call the Midwife heads to air just ahead of her upcoming MASTERPIECE adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Thomas explores how a charming midwife’s memoirs became an unlikely global success story.

Episode 87: Victoria Season 2 Outtakes And Extras
At the end of another season of Victoria, we couldn't help but dip back in to our collection of conversations with the cast and creative talent behind the series to offer some highlights that didn't make it through in our original podcast episodes.

Hear from Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes, Rufus Sewell, David Oakes, Jordan Waller, and Daisy Goodwin about life, death and behind-the-scenes scoops from Victoria Season 2.

Episode 86: A Very Victoria Christmas
The Christmas finale of Victoria's second season is as joyful to watch as it was to film, the series' lead actors reveal. And show creator Daisy Goodwin hints at the all too true origins of many modern Christmas traditions — Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Christmas cards — that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert helped to popularize.  

Episode 85: Lord Alfred — And Jordan Waller — Seeks A Love Without A Name
Homosexual romances no doubt existed in Queen Victoria’s court — but perhaps not in the way as depicted in this season’s dramatic storyline involving Lord Alfred Paget and Edward Drummond.

The term "homosexual" wasn’t in use in the common dialogue, and actor Jordan Waller thinks that nameless love makes his depiction of Lord Alfred all the more complicated.

Episode 84: Victoria & Albert: Lost in Scotland
Series creator Daisy Goodwin moves between historical fact and dramatic fiction when she and her team write each episode of Victoria. For this week’s journey to Scotland, Goodwin relied heavily on Queen Victoria’s actual diary entries from a 1844 royal visit to Scotland’s Blair Castle.

Goodwin — and Victoria stars Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes  — reflect on the magical episode.

Episode 83: Only David Oakes Wonders How Prince Ernest Is Feeling
Ernest, the charming royal German rogue of Victoria, has a reputation for being a kind of happy-go-lucky courtier. But his personal journey this season — from his dying father to his catastrophic medical condition — leaves actor David Oakes wishing somebody else in court would take the time to ask how Ernest is feeling.

Oakes explains why he sees Ernest as the Jiminy Cricket to Prince Albert's Pinocchio, and offers his previews of the closing half of this second season of Victoria.

Episode 82: Tom Hughes Searches For Prince Albert’s Emotional Foundations
Prince Albert is purely logical — which makes Tom Hughes’ search for emotional depths all the more challenging in this second season of Victoria.

The actor keeps a close eye on his character's historical experiences, all the while digging for the motivating forces that help push his character through challenging new crises.

Episode 81: Rufus Sewell Says Goodbye To Lord M
Rufus Sewell has relished the opportunity to play Lord Melbourne in the last two seasons of Victoria.

As he bids farewell to the character, he explains how Lord M’s complicated relationship with Queen Victoria changed during the young Queen’s heady early years on the throne, and why viewers took so strongly to his portrayal of the famed prime minister.

Episode 80: Daisy Goodwin Melds Fact And Fiction In Victoria’s Second Season
Daisy Goodwin may be the creator and head writer of Victoria, but she can’t help but sound like an ardent fan when she talks about the resurgent popularity of her version of Lord Melbourne.

“Obviously, I would like Lord M to be in every single episode,” Goodwin said. She explains how and where she looks for historical storylines for her Queen Victoria, and what we all should look forward to in this second season of her series.

Episode 79: Jenna Coleman Returns To Her Queenly Duties
Queen Victoria is a proud new mother — but so far, she’s anything but pleased. As Prince Albert manages the daily stresses of the royal boxes, Victoria finds herself longing for both marital clarity and professional order.

Actor Jenna Coleman warns — this is just the rocky beginning of a particularly dramatic new season of Victoria. Coleman and Victoria creator Daisy Goodwin explore the season still to come.

Episode 78: Keeley Hawes Reflects On A Season Of Magical 'Durrells' Moments
Louisa Durrell let another love interest pass her by at the end of The Durrells In Corfu’s second season. Along the way, however, she might have been reminded where her true loyalty lies: with her family.

Actor Keely Hawes says “the Durrells are very good at change,” and she looks ahead to the upcoming third season in a special bonus episode of the podcast.

Episode 77: Eleanor Tomlinson Thinks Demelza Deserves A Good Time
Demelza Poldark ended her third season of Poldark with a stunning act of defiance. Actor Eleanor Tomlinson doesn’t feel like she could have made the same choices, but she has been pleasantly surprised by the way fans have supported her character’s heartbreaking decision. “If Ross is going to go and do what he wants to do, why shouldn’t she go and have some fun?” she tells us.

Episode 76: Daniel Lapaine Really Wants To Be A Durrell
Actor Daniel Lapaine has made a career playing rakishly charming characters — he’s "a smiling devil," as one director told him.

Lapaine’s role as Hugh on this season of The Durrells in Corfu is more of the same, but he explains how the allure of the Durrell family is all too real for this Australian actor. Will Louisa head back to England with Hugh? Lapaine isn’t saying.

Episode 75: Just Like Aunt Agatha, Caroline Blakiston Knows Everybody's Business
Caroline Blakiston’s Aunt Agatha Poldark has been a secret triumph throughout these three seasons of Poldark, lurking by the Trenwith fire while reading her tarot cards and peering into the Cornish future.

After a particularly dramatic episode, Blakiston joins us to talk costumes, character development and how Harrison Ford helped calm her nerves in her famous Star Wars performance.

Episode 74: Ellise Chappell Reveals: There's Still Hope For Morwenna
After just missing her chance at true romantic happiness this week, the young Morwenna Chenoweth seems to be trapped in a loveless, lifeless marriage.

But Ellise Chappell, the young Poldark actor who plays Morwenna, isn’t worried. “We’ve got to keep hoping,” for the troubled Morwenna, she tells us — and offers stories of frogs, friendships and more from the Poldark set.

Episode 73: Louisa Durrell Is A Dream Made Real For Keeley Hawes
As a child, Keeley Hawes adored reading about the Durrell family’s fantastic Greek adventures on the island of Corfu. Years later, she finds herself as the fictional head of the Durrell clan, playing the role of matriarch Louisa Durrell in the ongoing series, The Durrells in Corfu.

In conversation with MASTERPIECE Studio, Keeley Hawes anticipates the furry and funny upcoming season of the family drama.

Episode 72: Poldark’s Gabriella Wilde Prepares For A Season Of Big Surprises
Poldark’s Caroline Penvenen, the beautiful heiress with a generous heart, has secrets in store in the upcoming third season of the series.

Actor Gabriella Wilde offers hints of the stories yet to come for her character, and reveals what it was like to film with her newborn child on set — as well as which of the dogs playing Horace the Pug she prefers.

Episode 71: Bonus: What Little Women Means To You
With the upcoming 2018 adaptation of Little Women on MASTERPIECE rapidly approaching, we wanted to look back 149 years to the original 1868 publication of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel of the same name. More specifically, we wanted to hear from our listeners and viewers why that novel is an important part of their lives. On International Podcast Day 2017, you told us.

Episode 70: Endeavour Writer Russell Lewis Already Knows Who Dies Next
A string of mysterious and seemingly unconnected Oxford murders greets Detective Constable Endeavour Morse in a brand new season of Endeavour. Lead series writer Russell Lewis wakes up every day wondering, “Who am I going to kill today?’ — and he tells us what, and who, to watch for in the upcoming fourth season.

Episode 69: Writer Daisy Coulam Unpacks An Emotional Season Of Grantchester
Another season of Grantchester is done and dusted, and lead writer Daisy Coulam has a few thoughts about the emotional journey she took us all on these past seven weeks. She talks love, duty, personal faith and her favorite scenes of the season that was.

Episode 68: Tessa Peake-Jones Is A Smiler; Mrs. Maguire Is Not
Iconic British actor Tessa Peake-Jones describes herself as a rather happy woman, but her Mrs. Maguire on Grantchester is anything but. She explains how she found her character, how she “listen acts,” and what her former acting mentee Al Weaver is really like on set.

Episode 67: Al Weaver’s Leonard Finch Is Still Learning To Love Himself
Actor Al Weaver, who plays church curate Leonard Finch on Grantchester, began his time on the series with a rather unfortunate mustache.

He tells us about his character’s journey from mustache to near-marriage and beyond, and gives some behind-the-scenes flavor of his funny, friendly relationship with his co-stars.

Episode 66: Stefanie Martini Looks Back, And Ahead
The Prime Suspect: Tennison season is over, but Jane Tennison’s journey to Detective Chief Inspector is just beginning.

Actor Stefanie Martini reflects on the explosive season finale, the young Jane’s first big case, and the steps that still remain in the WPC’s fledgling career in the Metropolitan Police.

Episode 65: Sam Reid Shows Jane Tennison A Glimpse Of Her Future Self
Actor Sam Reid plays the grizzled Detective Inspector Len Bradfield, an early mentor for a young Jane Tennison in the new prequel series, Prime Suspect: Tennison.

Bradfield is a role all its own — but Reid told us he couldn’t help but sneak a few of the original Jane Tennison’s quirks into his new character as a roadmap for where the future Prime Suspect legend would end up.

Episode 64: Stefanie Martini: A New Kind Of Jane Tennison
The original Prime Suspect brought powerhouse Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison to our screens for seven seasons. But Tennison didn’t start at the top.

Actor Stefanie Martini — who plays a younger version of the iconic character in the new prequel series, Prime Suspect: Tennison — reveals how she found her own unique angle on Tennison.

Episode 63: Writer Daisy Coulam Finds Humor in Grantchester's New Season
The comic and dramatic collide in full force in the picture book village of Grantchester, perhaps in this upcoming third season more than ever. Most of that mood comes from lead writer Daisy Coulam, who joins MASTERPIECE Studio to unpack her writing method, the show’s distinctive moral messaging, and the secrets of the season yet to come.

Episode 62: Joanne Froggatt Reveals a Darker Side
Fans of Downton Abbey’s Anna Bates were likely spooked by Joanne Froggatt’s character in Dark Angel: the manipulative real-life serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. In this episode, MASTERPIECE Studio dissects Mary Ann’s motives, and pulls back the curtain on Joanne Froggatt’s darkest role to date.

Episode 61: Mike Bartlett Rewrites (Future) History
In 2012, playwright Mike Bartlett had a revolutionary idea: a Shakespearean drama about a king who had not yet ruled in King Charles III. But the road from first draft to Tony nomination was anything but easy. In this episode, Mike Bartlett joins host Jace Lacob to go behind the scenes of his controversial work.

Episode 60: Tim Pigott-Smith & Charlotte Riley Get the Royal Treatment
Mike Bartlett’s Tony-nominated play King Charles III imagines the contentious ascension of Prince Charles to the throne. The new monarch’s refusal to play by the rules turns nearly everyone against him—from the members of Parliament to his daughter-in-law, Kate. In the wake of the television adaption, the late actor Tim Pigott-Smith (Charles) and Charlotte Riley (Kate) explore playing the real-life royals, the ghost of Princess Diana, and “rebranding” the British monarchy.

Episode 59: Getting Inside the Mind of Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë — of “Wuthering Heights” and Brontë family fame — looms large over English literature and high school lectures alike, yet so little about her is actually known. How did To Walk Invisible actor Chloe Pirrie bring this almost mythological writer to life?

We spoke with Chloe Pirrie about getting inside the mind of Emily Brontë and all of the wacky things that she discovered along the way.

Episode 58: Jenna Coleman & Tom Hughes Relive Their On-Screen Romance
In the aftermath of a season finale that tested the relationship between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, we’re talking to Victoria stars Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes about what it is like to play a royal couple whose love story is — quite literally — one for the history books.

Episode 57: Writer Daisy Goodwin Brings Victoria to Life
What does it take to write a television series? In Daisy Goodwin’s case, it took a fight, 30 years of research experience, and a lot of heart. This is the story of how Daisy Goodwin came to write Victoria, and how she brought 19th-century characters to life on screen.

Episode 56: Rufus Sewell on Lord Melbourne’s Appeal
Although many people have been rooting for Lord Melbourne and Victoria to end up together, history decided a different fate for the pair. Rufus Sewell, the actor who plays Lord M, joins us to reveal his own “mixed feelings” about being replaced by actor Tom Hughes' Prince Albert, and weighs in on audiences’ reactions to Lord Melbourne.

Episode 55: Jenna Coleman Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Victoria
Though MASTERPIECE's new period drama Victoria is based on actual 19th century history, it can be hard to distinguish fact from fiction. Did Victoria and Lord Melbourne actually have a "special relationship"? And what was Queen Victoria's coronation really like? Actor Jenna Coleman and Victoria writer Daisy Goodwin join us to answer these questions surrounding the series premiere and more.

Episode 54: Martin Freeman on John and Sherlock's Complicated Relationship
Warning: This show contains spoilers for Sherlock Season 4, Episode 2. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes have been through some rough patches before, but never one quite like this. In the wake of an episode ("The Lying Detective") that tests both their relationship — and their sanity — Martin Freeman joins us to look back at John and Sherlock’s unlikely friendship, and teases their uncertain future.

Episode 53: Sherlock’s Amanda Abbington Weighs in on the Premiere
Warning: This show contains major spoilers for Sherlock Season 4, Episode 1. Sherlock’s Amanda Abbington weighs in on the fourth season premiere ("The Six Thatchers"), and on playing the divisive Mary Watson.

Episode 52: Sherlock's Louise Brealey on Molly, Dogs, and Season 4
Sherlock’s Molly Hooper has gone from being somewhat of a joke to a fan favorite. She has gotten to slap and kiss Sherlock Holmes; we’ve even seen her portrayed as a mustachioed, Victorian doctor in “The Abominable Bride.” So, how will Molly Hooper surprise us next? Actor Louise Brealey discusses her quirky character and teases Season 4 just in time for the January 1st Sherlock premiere.

Episode 51: Poldark Finale: Aidan Turner Opens Up About Ross's Flaws
Even though actor Aidan Turner understands Ross Poldark's motivations more than most, he can admit that Ross was "a mess" this season. In this episode, Aidan Turner joins us to reflect on Ross's missteps, the fiery finale, and why he still believes that Ross and Demelza are "soulmates."

Episode 50: Elizabeth Poldark — No Regrets
Actor Heida Reed is nothing like the character she plays on MASTERPIECE. In fact, she describes herself as "actually the opposite" — she's impulsive and she "doesn't have a filter." So what has it been like for her to play the buttoned-up (and hate-able) Elizabeth Poldark? We turn to Heida to find out.

Episode 49: Bonus: Team Demelza
In a special bonus episode, Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson — who plays Demelza Poldark — returns to comment on recent events in Cornwall that were as shocking as a slap in the face.

Episode 48: Poldark: Dr. Dwight's Forbidden Love
Dr. Dwight Enys knows how to extract fish bones from throats, cure scurvy, and fix locked knees, but for all of his knowledge about the human body, he really struggles when it comes to matters of the heart. Actor Luke Norris joins us in the aftermath of Poldark's latest love drama to comment on whether or not things will ever come around for the good doctor.

Episode 47: Poldark: Kyle Soller on Francis's Fate
Francis Poldark might be the unluckiest character to appear on MASTERPIECE since Lady Edith Crawley, but whereas Downton's Lady Edith got a happy ending, Francis Poldark did not. In this episode, actor Kyle Soller talks about Francis's unhappy ending and looks back on some of his favorite scenes from the past two seasons.

Episode 46: Talking with Poldark's Villain, George Warleggan
With all of George Warleggan's antics this season and last, it's hard to see him as anything other than Cornwall's resident villain... or is it? In this episode, actor Jack Farthing gives us a different take on the Poldark character. 

Episode 45: Poldark: Eleanor Tomlinson Dishes on Demelza
In the wake of Poldark's tense, Season 2 premiere, Eleanor Tomlinson sits down with us to talk about playing the fiery Demelza Poldark and Demelza and Ross's future together: the good, the bad, and the baby.

Episode 44: Aidan Turner's Ready for Poldark Season 2. Are You?
Season 2 of Poldark is just around the corner! So what's in store for Ross, Demelza, and the rest of the Cornwall crew? On this episode, Aidan Turner looks back on Season 1 — including Ross's shirtless scything scene — and shares a few Season 2 secrets with us to get us ready to watch the premiere.

Episode 43: Churchill's Secret Uncovered
Actors Sir Michael Gambon and Romola Garai — who play Winston Churchill and Millie Appleyard in the film Churchill's Secret — have a relationship as lighthearted on-screen as they do off. Here, the two come together in this exclusive interview to talk about the film, Albus Dumbledore, and the necessity of secret-keeping. Also hear from the film's director, Charles Sturridge, on bringing this remarkable and true story to life.

Episode 42: Is This the End of Lewis? Kevin Whately Speaks
Though this is not the first time that we've said "goodbye" to Inspector Robbie Lewis, actor Kevin Whately insists that, this time, the beloved character is leaving the screen for good. But before we say our final farewells, Kevin Whately joins us to look back on his incredible 30 year career as Robbie Lewis — the once "second banana" turned leading detective and star.

Episode 41: "Lewis": 20 Years On, Clare Holman Still Delivers Sass and Science
Clare Holman's 20-year run as pathologist Dr. Laura Hobson is coming to a close. But before it does, Clare joins us to reminisce about her time on Morse and Inspector Lewis and to tease the explosive series finale.

Episode 40: On the Brink of Death
Roger Allam returns to the podcast to take us behind the scenes of the wild Endeavour season finale — from the bullet-spitting scene to Thursday and Matthew's standoff.

Episode 39: Shaun Evans is His Own Endeavour Morse
Although young D.C. Morse is not the first version of the iconic detective to grace the screen, in the aftermath of one of the most intense episodes of Endeavour to date, it's clear that Shaun Evans' take on the famous character is a memorable one all the same. Five years after agreeing to play the part of the young Endeavour Morse, Shaun Evans reveals what it was that attracted him to the role, explains how Endeavour is like Sex and the City, and answers our most burning questions about the third season finale.

Episode 38: Endeavour: Is Anton Lesser the "Kiss of Death?"
These days, Anton Lesser is most recognized for playing two very different characters: Endeavour's Chief Superintendent Bright and Game of Thrones' Qyburn. Now, in the aftermath of his standout performance in Endeavour's "Prey," the seasoned British actor talks with us about his roles both past and present, heroic and murderous.

Episode 37: Endeavour: New Case, New Character
DC Morse and the Oxford City Police are back to business as they investigate a whole new spate of crimes: poisonings, kidnappings, and explosions. But beyond being chock-full of crime-drama goodness, this season's second episode also introduces us to a new character and the show's first female police officer, WPC Shirley Trewlove. WPC Trewlove joins the Endeavour cast just as actor Dakota Blue Richards joins us here to talk about her character's "morbid fascination" with Oxford's dark side, and to tease her future on the Cowley team.

Episode 36: Thursday and Morse, Back on the Beat
After being shot at the end of Season 2 of Endeavour, Inspector Fred Thursday is back on the beat with a hole in his lung and a lot on his plate. He has to deal with a fairground murder and a suspected drug overdose, but his biggest challenge: convincing Morse to rejoin the force. In this episode, we talk to Roger Allam about the third season premiere, playing Inspector Fred Thursday, and his other acting endeavors.

Episode 35: Inspector Morse's Legacy Lives On
Back in 1987, actor John Thaw brought the endearingly cantankerous Inspector Morse to life on screen for the first time. Now, nearly 30 years later, John Thaw's daughter helps to keep that legacy alive. This is the story of how Abigail Thaw came to play Dorothea Frazil in the Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour, just in time for Endeavour's third season premiere.

Episode 34: Bonus: Julian Fellowes Remembers Downton Abbey
Do you miss Downton Abbey? Well, we do and we're bringing back our conversation with Julian Fellowes — creator, sole writer and executive producer of the show — to revel in Downton's final season and six years of Downton magic one more time. We released this interview previously — in two different places on the podcast — but now you can hear it all in one place.

Episode 33: Directing Wallander: "The Biggest Challenge of My Career"
From dealing with big cats and non-stop rain to guiding Kenneth Branagh's last performance as Kurt Wallander, Benjamin Caron describes all of the challenges that came with directing Wallander's final season.

Episode 32: Kenneth Branagh's Last Day as Kurt Wallander
The series finale of Wallander had a lot of heart; it gave us a heartbreaking diagnosis, a heart-pounding case, and to top it off, a heart-filled performance from the great Sir Kenneth Branagh. Now, appearing for one last time on the podcast, Kenneth Branagh discusses the most memorable moments from the final episode — including the questionably happy ending — and dishes on his last days as the brooding detective.

Episode 31: Jeremy Piven Says "Goodbye" to Mr. Selfridge
Mr. Selfridge is going out in style. From spectacle to stunts, this season has it all. But how will the party end for the larger-than-life retail magnate? Join guest host Barrett Brountas as actor Jeremy Piven looks back on his four-year journey as Mr. Selfridge and to gets us ready to watch the series finale.

Episode 30: Kenneth Branagh’s Wallander Can’t Catch a Break
In his second appearance on the podcast, Kenneth Branagh dishes on the latest episode of the final series of Wallander, "A Lesson in Love," and provides his own take on Wallander's seeming endless struggle with relationships, health, and happiness.

Episode 29: A Nod to Nordic Noir
What's behind the darkness and violence seen in Wallander and other Nordic Noir crime drama? And what makes these shows so entertaining to watch? Professor Andrew Nestingen, expert in all things Nordic Noir, investigates.

Episode 28: Kenneth Branagh Faces the End of Wallander
The Season 4 premiere of Wallander finds the Northern Irish actor Kenneth Branagh playing a Swede in South Africa. Here, Branagh reveals what it was like to be "out of his usual surroundings," and remembers the experiences he had eight years ago that made playing the Swedish detective possible.

Episode 27: Inside the Wallander Theme Song
Back in 2008, Australian native Emily Barker and her band the Red Clay Halo recorded their song, "Nostalgia," in relative anonymity. But when the crime drama Wallander premiered, accompanied by the song, "Nostalgia" became an instant hit. As told by Emily Barker herself, this is the story of "Nostalgia" from its chilly inception to its eventual fame.

Episode 26: Kiss & Make Up: Grantchester's Season Finale
From punches to pranks, Grantchester's James Norton (Sidney) and Robson Green (Geordie) had a wild time together filming Season 2. Now in the wake of Grantchester's season finale, the dynamic duo returns to recap this season's most dramatic moments and reveal their most entertaining, behind-the-scenes stories.

Episode 25: The Dark Side of Grantchester
In the aftermath of Gary's hanging and Sidney and Geordie's big fight, the once and (hopefully) future dream team — James Norton (Sidney) and Robson Green (Geordie) — get together on the podcast to remember the past as it truly was.

Episode 24: "Too Late" For Grantchester's Sidney and Amanda?
Amanda — a wealthy debutante — and Sidney — an Anglican vicar — have managed to keep their relationship alive despite the social conventions of the ‘50s. But now, it seems like a baby — if not their significant others — may actually keep Grantchester's star-crossed lovers apart. In this episode, we turn to actor Morven Christie, who plays Amanda, to get the inside scoop on the future of Amanda and Sidney’s relationship, what it's like to be a woman in the entertainment industry of today, and why Amanda's story is one that needs to be told.

Episode 23: Secrets of Grantchester with Author James Runcie
"The Grantchester Mysteries" author James Runcie talks about meeting James Norton (and having the odd sensation of meeting an actor playing a fictionalized version of his late father), how the character of posh debutante Amanda Kendall came to be, comedy clerics, and other secrets about the making of Grantchester.

Episode 22: Picnics & Murders... Grantchester is Back!
Handsome vicar Sidney Chambers and gruff detective Geordie Keating are back on the beat, solving mysteries in the idyllic town of Grantchester all while battling demons of their own. We'll sit down with Sidney and Geordie — James Norton and Robson Green — for an in-depth look at what's in store for Grantchester’s second season.

Episode 21: Lady Edith Gets the Last Word
How could we leave Downton Abbey without hearing from Lady Edith?

The Crawleys' middle daughter has come a long way in six years — from an unlucky wallflower to the elegant Marchioness of Hexham. Now, Laura Carmichael, who played Lady Edith, joins us to look back on the finale, as well as all the years Edith spent fighting for her happy ending.

Episode 20: Directing Downton: Michael Engler on Directing the Last Episode... Ever
What was it like to direct Downton Abbey's finale? No pressure, right? Michael Engler knows first-hand exactly how much pressure comes with directing a "national treasure." In this "Directing Downton" episode, Engler takes us behind the scenes of the two Season 6 episodes he helmed — the series finale and Lord Grantham's bloody dinner — and reveals what it took to bring those important chapters to the screen.

Episode 19: A Farewell to Downton Abbey — With Julian Fellowes
He created Downton Abbey. Now, he has brought it to a close. Julian Fellowes — Downton's creator, sole writer and executive producer — takes us inside the series finale, and reveals why he decided to end the show after six wonderful years.

Also, our final Downton roundtable unpacks all of the finale's bittersweet moments — from Edith and Bertie's reconciliation to Thomas and Carson's new arrangement. We'll also preview the exciting, second season of the 1950's British detective drama, Grantchester, premiering March 27 on Masterpiece. 

Episode 18: Directing Downton: Minkie Spiro on Blackmail, Hunting, and Sex
As we count down the days until Downton's grand finale, we're looking back at how this final season began — from fox hunting to Mrs. Patmore's awkward mission — with the woman who directed the first two episodes, Minkie Spiro.

Episode 17: Bonus: Behind the Scenes with Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary)
As we prepare for the finale on March 6th, don't miss this extended version of our conversation with the actor who brought Lady Mary to life, Michelle Dockery!

Michelle takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of her six years on Downton Abbey: from her initial audition, to watching the penultimate episode with her real-life sister, and finally, to walking through the Downton set one last time in "floods of tears."

Episode 16: Costume Designer Anna Mary Scott Robbins on Fashion! (At Downton Abbey)
Style matters on Downton Abbey — from Lady Mary's Chanel-influenced chic to Edith’s muted color palette; costumes say a lot about each character. In this bonus episode, Downton's costume designer, Anna Mary Scott Robbins, tells us how she uses fashion to bring the characters — and the roaring 20s — to life.

Episode 15: Finale Sneak Peek with Downton Creator Julian Fellowes
Finale fever is in the air! Although the show's off this week, we're here to get you ready to watch Downton Abbey's final episode.

From a tease of what to expect — courtesy of the Downton cast — to an in-depth conversation with Downton's creator, sole writer and executive producer Julian Fellowes, we'll help you to face March 6, and the end of the show.

Episode 14: Directing Downton: David Evans on Lady Mary's Epic Episode
What do an epic car crash, a fiery sibling showdown, and a much-anticipated wedding have in common? All three are unforgettable Downton Abbey scenes directed by David Evans. In this "Directing Downton" conversation, David takes us behind the scenes of the explosive seventh and eighth episodes, and reveals his process for taking Downton from the script to the screen.

Episode 13: Bonus: Behind the Scenes with Allen Leech (Tom Branson)
Allen Leech takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of his six years at Downton Abbey: from his "terrifying" first day on set, to the night he broke into the Highclere Castle grounds, to his "very, very emotional" final moments as Tom Branson. Don't miss this extended version of our conversation with the actor who brought Tom Branson to life!

Episode 12: Don't Ask, Don't Tell at Downton Abbey
Ever since Downton Abbey began, we've watched Thomas Barrow try — and fail — to find his place downstairs — in part because of his sexuality. Now, in the wake of his heartbreaking suicide attempt, we asked Downton's historian, Alastair Bruce, to explain the historical context of Thomas' struggle.

Episode 11: Mary vs. Edith: Downton's Sibling Showdown
It's a pattern we've seen since Downton Abbey began: when Mary is unhappy, it's often Edith who pays the price. But this time, Mary crosses a line — and sets up a sibling showdown six seasons in the making. Michelle Dockery returns to the podcast to reflect on Lady Mary's comeuppance... and redemption, from her jaw-dropping fight with Edith to her heart-to-heart with Violet, and finally her wedding to Henry Talbot. We'll also go behind-the-scenes of all the drama with the episode's director, David Evans, who reveals what it was like to film the episode's most memorable moments.

Episode 10: Anna and Molesley Catch a Break
Anna Bates has had some rotten luck, and poor Molesley hasn't fared much better. But now, they're finally getting some good news. In this two-for-one episode, actors Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates) AND Kevin Doyle (Joseph Molesley) reflect on their characters' rocky journeys to redemption.

Episode 9: Mr. Carson & Mrs. Hughes... The Honeymoon's Over
Mr. Carson & Mrs. Hughes — Downton's butler and head housekeeper — have managed the downstairs staff for years. Now, they'll have to manage their newest, and perhaps most challenging roles yet: husband and wife. In this episode, actors Jim Carter (Mr. Carson) and Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes) reflect on their characters' highly-anticipated romance, from the kiss (!) to life after the honeymoon. We'll also get some one-on-one time with both Jim and Phyllis to hear their personal, behind-the-scenes stories and insight into their characters — and each other.

Episode 8: Lord Grantham's Last Supper?
It's the topic of Downton water cooler conversations across America — Lord Grantham's brush with death. In this episode, Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham) and director Michael Engler take you behind-the-scenes of that shocking moment.

Episode 7: Downton Abbey's Lesley Nicol
It's the Mrs. Patmore podcast! Mrs. P. — Downton’s cook — has been dishing out one-liners and rustic wisdom for the past six years. In this episode, Lesley Nicol reveals that, while her cooking skills never materialized off-screen, her heartfelt relationship with Sophie McShera (Daisy) certainly did.

Episode 6: Downton Abbey's Allen Leech
Allen Leech plays Tom Branson, the handsome Irish revolutionary turned estate manager. But behind-the-scenes, Leech was a notorious prankster. In this episode, Leech reflects on Tom Branson's epic journey, and reveals some of his favorite off screen moments.

Episode 5: Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern
Robert and Cora Crawley, the Earl and Countess of Grantham, have weathered many storms. In this two-for-one episode, Hugh Bonneville (Robert) and Elizabeth McGovern (Cora) reflect on the six years they spent playing the heads of a very dramatic household.

Episode 4: Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery
Lady Mary is known for her icy glares and scandal-prone love life. Michelle Dockery talks about her six years playing one of Downton Abbey's most memorable and complex characters.

Episode 3: Get Ready! Downton Abbey, the Final Season
The cast of Downton Abbey — including Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Jim Carter — join the producers behind the show to get you ready for the final season.

Episode 2: Bonus: Mark Gatiss' Ghost Story
In this special bonus episode of the podcast, Sherlock's Mark Gatiss shares a ghost story... from his own life.

Episode 1: Sherlock's Mark Gatiss
Sherlock co-creator, writer and actor Mark Gatiss previews the upcoming special, “The Abominable Bride," starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Coming Soon: Masterpiece Studio (Teaser Episode)
Preview the Masterpiece Studio podcast with Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) and Allen Leech (Tom Branson), and sound from the upcoming Sherlock special, "The Abominable Bride."

MASTERPIECE Studio is hosted by me, Jace Lacob, and produced by Nick Andersen. Elisheba Ittoop is our editor. Rebecca Eaton is the executive producer at large for MASTERPIECE. The executive producer for MASTERPIECE is Susanne Simpson.

You can subscribe to MASTERPIECE STUDIO on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever else you listen to podcasts. Sponsors for MASTERPIECE on PBS are Viking River Cruises and The Masterpiece Trust.