Acorn TV Releases Murder Before Evensong Trailer Ahead of September US Premiere
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Last Updated on August 19, 2025 by Stefanie Hutson
Acorn TV has released the official trailer and first-look images for Murder Before Evensong, the highly anticipated six-part murder mystery starring Harry Potter alum Matthew Lewis – and even better, they've confirmed that we don't have too long to wait until it's on our screens.
About the Series
Set in a quiet English village during the 1980s, Murder Before Evensong is based on the bestselling Canon Clement Mysteries by British author and clergyman Reverend Richard Coles. Matthew Lewis stars as Canon Daniel Clement, the rector of Champton, who finds himself at the center of a murder investigation after a dead body turns up at the back of his church during a project to add a new lavatory. What began as a plan to modernize the parish becomes a spark that divides the community—and uncovers long-held secrets.
Daniel shares the Champton rectory with his strong-willed, widowed mother Audrey, played by Amanda Redman (New Tricks), and their two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda. As the police get involved and more bodies turn up, Daniel must hold his fractured community together while seeking out the truth.
Cast and Creative Team
In addition to Matthew Lewis and Amanda Redman, the series features Amit Shah (Happy Valley) as DS Neil Vanloo, Adam James (The Day of the Jackal) as Bernard De Floures, Meghan Treadway (One Day) as Honor De Floures, and Alexander Delamain as Alex De Floures. Marion Bailey (The Crown) appears as Kath, Amanda Hadingue (Kaos) as Dora, and Tamzin Outhwaite (The Wives) as Stella Harper. The cast also includes Francis Magee (Kin) as Edgy and Nina Toussaint-White (Showtrial) as Jane Thwaite.
The series is adapted for television by Nick Hicks-Beach (Lewis, DCI Banks) and directed by David Moore (Outlander, Shetland). Reverend Richard Coles serves as executive producer alongside Radford Neville for The Lighthouse Film and Television, Catherine Mackin and Don Klees for Acorn TV/Acorn Media Enterprises, and Paul Testar and Sebastian Cardwell for Channel 5, which co-produces the series in the UK.
Release and Viewing Details
Murder Before Evensong will premiere on Monday, September 29, 2025, on Acorn TV in the US and Canada. The series will also air on Channel 5 in the UK later this fall.
Check Out the Books
Murder Before Evensong is based on the first novel in the bestselling Canon Clement Mystery series by Reverend Richard Coles. The books introduce Canon Daniel Clement, a witty and observant rector in a sleepy English village where things are rarely as peaceful as they seem.
Set in the 1980s, the novels blend classic murder mystery structure with dry humour, rich village life, and the fish-out-of-water perspective of a clergyman caught in the middle of murder investigations (though at this point, they should probably just offer investigative courses at all British seminaries). Canon Clement is an unconventional sleuth whose moral compass and insider knowledge of his parish give him an edge when it comes to solving crimes, especially in a world where everyone seems to have something to hide.
The first book was well-received and kicked off what is now a multi-book series. Readers who enjoy traditional mysteries with a contemporary twist, fans of cozy crime, and those drawn to ecclesiastical settings will find much to love in Coles’s fiction. As of 2025, the books in the series are as follows:
- Murder Before Evensong – Canon Daniel Clement, rector of Champton, finds his parish divided over plans for a new lavatory, but when a villager is murdered in the church with a pair of pruning shears, long-buried secrets surface and Daniel must hold his community together while unmasking a killer.
- A Death in the Parish – Canon Daniel Clement faces parish upheaval after Champton merges with Upper and Lower Badsaddle, while his mother Audrey keeps secrets of her own—until a shocking ritualistic murder forces him to confront both family mysteries and a killer at large.
- Murder at the Monastery – At a monastery where he once trained as a novice, Canon Daniel Clement seeks solace from personal humiliation, but when a suspicious death occurs, he’s drawn into unraveling secrets that link back to Champton, where village gossip, family intrigue, and even unruly puppies await his return.
