Mark Gatiss has played a pivotal part in the creation of some of our favorite modern British shows. From his work as a writer on Doctor Who and his co-creation of the mind-boggling The League of Gentlemen, Gatiss has proven time and again to be one of Britain’s best creative minds. His latest project for the small screen, following appearances in big-budget blockbusters Fantastic Four: First Steps and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, is the cozy British crime drama Bookish, which debuted last summer.

Created by and starring Gatiss, Bookish became an instant hit for U&alibi, with the debut episode averaging 1.5 million viewers, making it the channel’s second-highest-performing premiere ever. After a stellar first season, which debuted on PBS in the U.S. earlier this year, Bookish is set to return with a second season that Gatiss himself told Collider would be “more ambitious.” Season 2 will again feature six episodes, with Gatiss’ Gabriel Book taking on a trio of new cases in post-war London.

Ahead of the second season, which is coming to U&Alibi this summer and has recently been bought by HBO Max in Australia, a tantalizing new trailer has dropped, giving fans their first full glimpse at Book back in puzzle-solving action. Available to watch below, the trailer also features other returning favorites, including Polly Walker as Trottie Book, Connor Finch as Jack Blunt, Elliot Levey as Inspector Bliss, Blake Harrison as Sergeant Morris, and Buket Kömür as Nora. Guest stars for Season 2 include Jason Watkins as Harold Sneed, Miranda Richardson as Duchess Alberta, Simon Callow as ‘E’, Claire Skinner as Mrs Calthrop, and Youssef Kerkour as Yusuf.

Bookish season 2 confirms new starry cast including Blackadder legend | Radio Times

What is ‘Bookish’ Season 2 About?

The ensemble has been assembled, and the trailer has landed, but what exactly is Bookish Season 2 about? Season 2

Bookish' Season 2: Premiere, Cast, Trailer, Storyline

sees Book investigating “the world of spiritualism as he helps to solve a baffling case involving medium Harold Sneed (Watkins) and a séance full of secrets”. The official synopsis continues:

“Off Savile Row, Inspector Bliss (Levey) asks Book to help in a puzzling crime at a gentleman’s outfitters – the elderly tailor Maxie Kleinmann (Corduner) is keen to confess to murder but the evidence doesn’t quite stack up and points to something much more complex and sinister. And Book and Jack are sent to the seemingly charming German village of Würl by the mysterious ‘E’ (Callow) to thwart a thieving Duchess (Richardson) at Christmas time. However, festivities take a deadly turn when Book and Jack uncover secrets of their own in a castle brimming with shady characters. Book’s association with the police continues to be not without its personal dangers and his lavender marriage with childhood best friend Trottie, is threatened by the debonair Colonel Winters (Graves).”