Magpie Murders (2016)
Anthony Horowitz’s novel came first and holds a complete Atticus Pünd mystery inside it.
Buy the book at Waterstones Listen on AudibleThe first Susan Ryeland mystery
Magpie Murders
Editor Susan Ryeland receives Alan Conway’s newest Atticus Pünd manuscript without its final chapter. When Conway dies, the unfinished book becomes part of her own investigation.
Six episodes. First shown on BBC One on 1 April 2023, after a BritBox release in February 2022.
The six episodes
Each guide starts with a spoiler-free summary. Recaps and endings stay closed until you open them.
- Episode 1
Susan Ryeland opens Alan Conway’s manuscript as Atticus Pünd receives an unexpected visitor. Explore the cast, clues and spoiler recap of Episode 1.
- Episode 2
Susan visits Alan Conway’s home while Pünd investigates Pye Hall. Follow Episode 2’s missing papers, family tensions, cast and full spoiler recap.
- Episode 3
A restaurant lead and stolen silver deepen both mysteries in Magpie Murders Episode 3. Read the cast guide, clues and closed spoiler recap.
- Episode 4
Two funerals expose private grievances in Magpie Murders Episode 4, as Susan finds the manuscript unexpectedly personal. Cast, clues and spoiler recap.
- Episode 5
The stolen silver and a photograph of Andreas demand new explanations in Magpie Murders Episode 5. Explore the clues and full spoiler recap.
- Episode 6
Explore the Magpie Murders finale, with a spoiler-free introduction, a closed ending explanation, character links and book comparisons.
Who plays who
Many actors play one person in Susan’s world and another in the Atticus Pünd story. Read across each row to see both roles. Full cast guide.
Where it was filmed
Kersey: Magpie Murders filming locationsExplore Kersey, the real Saxby-on-Avon, with a village walk, the Bell Inn exterior, River House, transport advice and nearby Suffolk places to stay.
The Bell Inn: the Queen’s Arms in Magpie MurdersVisit the Bell Inn exterior in Kersey, which became the Queen’s Arms in Magpie Murders, with closure advice and a short village route.
River House, Kersey: Magpie Murders locationSee River House from Kersey’s public streets: a private Elizabethan filming location beside the ford, with a respectful walk and local travel advice.
Magpie Murders filming locations in IrelandPlan the Irish side of Magpie Murders: Glenmaroon, DCU’s Drumcondra campuses, Dublin travel bases and public heritage stops for a filming-inspired trip.
- Glenmaroon House: Abbey Grange and Pye Hall
Discover Glenmaroon’s double role in Magpie Murders and plan a nearby Phoenix Park day, with clear advice about the private house and public attractions.
DCU: Magpie Murders filming in DrumcondraFind the DCU campuses used in Magpie Murders, with a public Drumcondra walk, transport, places to eat and advice on university access.
Read or listen to the book
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Where to watch
UK: check BBC iPlayer for Magpie Murders.
US: PBS lists Magpie Murders, with Passport access indicated. Check the service’s terms for your location.
PBS listing checked 19 October 2026.
Behind the camera
Principal production credits
- Writer / executive producer
- Anthony Horowitz
- Director
- Peter Cattaneo
- Executive producers
- Jill Green · Lesley Manville
- Composer
- Murray Gold
- Director of photography
- Anna Valdez Hanks
- Editors
- Nigel Bunyan · Jamie Pearson
- Production
- Eleventh Hour Films · MASTERPIECE
This is a verified principal-credit summary, not a reproduction of the full end-credit roll. See the crew directory and open gaps →
Novel and television
What changed on screen?
Television spoilers and book-only spoilers are never exposed in the page preview.
Open spoiler-safe book-to-screen comparison
Adaptation discussion only: culprit identities, solutions and character outcomes are not disclosed.
- The six-part serial moves between Susan’s investigation and the 1950s Atticus Pünd manuscript, turning the novel-within-a-novel into two visible screen worlds.
- Several performers appear in both worlds, making the novel’s parallels immediately visual.
- Susan’s imagined conversations with Pünd externalise parts of her editorial reasoning.
- Kersey in Suffolk supplies the principal village exteriors for fictional Saxby-on-Avon.
These adaptation notes describe structure and presentation, not the culprit or solution.
Source desk
BBC programmes · PBS MASTERPIECE official guide · Eleventh Hour Films · Anthony Horowitz.
Credits and UK availability last checked 20 September 2026. Broadcaster schedules may change.
The other mysteries
- Moonflower Murders
Susan is asked to revisit a murder at an English hotel after a woman disappears. The family believes the answer is hidden inside an Atticus Pünd novel inspired by the people who were there.
- Marble Hall Murders
Susan edits a new Atticus Pünd novel by Eliot Crace, grandson of the children’s author Miriam Crace, and finds that the manuscript mirrors his own family’s history. Inside it, Pünd takes a case in Corfu.
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