Rachael New

The on this episode of Writers at Work is Rachel New, creator, showrunner, and primary writer of Miss Scarlet, the Victorian era crime drama now in its 5th season. It's streaming here and there and will launch on PBS Masterpiece on January 12.

In its four previous seasons, the series was known as Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Miss Scarlet fans know that the Duke is gone. Scotland Yard detective inspector William Wellington has left London for a position with the New York City Police Department, placing him far from the private investigator, Eliza Scarlet. What will become of their contentious relationship that has blossomed into a romance? And how will Miss Scarlet, who is a more than competent PI, adjust to a new detective inspector who, unlike his blunt force predecessor, is cool and deliberate and declares absolute disinterest in working with private investigators?

Those are questions for Rachel New, who launched the series back in 2020. Prior to that, she wrote for many TV series in the UK, beginning with Monday Monday, a comedy set in the headquarters of a supermarket chain, and Trollied, also set in a supermarket. She has a long list of credentials now topped by Miss Scarlett, which works beautifully as a crime series and a glimpse into a vividly depicted Victorian society.