Matthew Lewis to lead murder mystery series on Acorn TV

Matthew Lewis keeps drifting further from that shy boy at Hogwarts. Deadline has reported exclusively that the actor will lead Murder Before Evensong, a mystery series commissioned in November by Acorn TV in partnership with Channel 5, with Lewis taking the central role in a story full of suspense.

Lewis plays Canon Daniel Clement, a vicar who only wanted to install a lavatory in the church of the small community where he lives. The plans turn upside down when a man is found stabbed to death at the back of the building, and the bodies start to pile up.

The production runs to six episodes, is directed by David Moore, and adapts the novel by the Reverend Richard Coles. It is exactly the kind of British mystery, cosy and macabre at once, that tends to do well over here. No premiere date has been announced yet, but Lewis at the heart of it is a promising prospect.

I have a soft spot for following Matthew’s career. He became a symbol of the boy who blossoms, both in fiction and real life, and has built a solid record in dramatic roles far from the wand. Seeing Neville lead a TV series feels like a richly deserved joy.

One practical note: Acorn TV has its own app and is also offered through Prime Video Channels in several countries, so the series should be easy to find once it arrives. And you, do you enjoy a good English-village mystery with a body on the altar?

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