Everything You Need To Know

The Victorian period drama Miss Scarlet has already stirred up quite a few mysteries across its first four seasons, and now it has returned for season 5. Premiering in 2020, the show follows Eliza Scarlet as she inherits her late father’s detective agency and teams up with seasoned Scotland Yard veteran William “The Duke” Wellington to crack cases. Putting a clever spin on the age-old detective and romance tropes, Miss Scarlet analyzes the Victorian era through a modern lens and explores issues like gender and sexuality while still delivering compelling mysteries.

Though the series has all the visual appeal of the most opulent period dramas, the greatest strength of Miss Scarlet has always been the will-they-won’t-they pull of the two titular characters and the cozy vibe of the show as a whole. The cozy British murder mystery series is nothing new, but Miss Scarlet goes a fair bit deeper than the usual whodunnit when it comes to exploring contemporary social issues, and adds a layer of feet-kicking romance to the genre. Season 5 continued that trend when it arrived in early 2025, but with a few new wrinkles too.

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Miss Scarlet Season 5 Critical Reception

Big Changes That Weren’t Necessarily Embraced

The Duke and Miss Scarlet sitting at a desk looking at someone.

The consensus seems to be that the departure of Stuart Martin’s character may have derailed the mystery series.

Like previous season of Miss Scarlet, the show’s fifth iteration didn’t get a lot of attention from the major critics. However, Tellyvisions offered a pretty thorough rundown of the series, and they especially had a lot of thoughts about the season finale. Though they admitted that the sixth episode, “Dangerous Liasons” was the best of the season, the entire fifth outing felt like a big reset, and not necessarily for the better. The consensus seems to be that the departure of Stuart Martin’s character may have derailed the mystery series.

Miss Scarlet season 5 concluded on February 16, 2025.

Miss Scarlet Season 5 Cast Details

Many Returns & One Big Departure

Though shows like Miss Scarlet utilize a revolving cast of guest characters, the main cast of the series has remained largely consistent since the first episode. However, Miss Scarlet season 5 saw a major shakeup in its ensemble as Stuart Martin did not return as his beloved character, William “The Duke” Wellington. Despite that shocking departure, Kate Phillips did return to the lead role, and she once again played the intrepid detective, Miss Scarlet. To replace Martin’s “The Duke”, Tom Durant Pritchard joined as Scotland Yard detective Alexander Blake.

Because of Martin’s departure, season 5’s title was truncated to Miss Scarlet.

The season 5 cast includes:

Actor	Miss Scarlet And The Duke Role
Kate Phillips	Ms. Eliza Scarlet
Tom Durant Pritchard	Alexander Blake
Evan McCabe	Detective Fitzroy
Cathy Belton	Ivy
Felix Scott	Patrick Nash
Paul Bazely	Clarence
Simon Ludders	Mr. Potts
Tim Chipping	Detective Phelps

Miss Scarlet Season 5 Trailer

Watch The Full Trailers Below

Custom image of the cast of Miss Scarlet and the Duke — Custom Image by SR Image Editor

Just a few short weeks after the season was put on the schedule, PBS debuted a quick teaser for Miss Scarlet season 5 in November 2024. Though it doesn’t show much, the teaser highlights the contentious relationship between Scarlet, and newcomer Detective Blake. The Scotland Yard professional is unwilling to work with private investigators, and it’s clear that Scarlet will need to prove herself in order to continue working on the cases.

With only a short time before the show returned, a full trailer for Miss Scarlet season 5 was revealed in December 2024. Highlighting the chilly relationship between Eliza and newcomer Detective Blake, the trailer also hints at a massive case that puts everyone in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Eliza begins to think about her own life outside of work, and it’s clear that the departure of “The Duke” has left her emotionally shaken.

Miss Scarlet Season 5 Ending & Spoilers

Miss Scarlet Faced Big Changes In Season 5

The Duke standing in the street in Miss Scarlet and the Duke

Miss Scarlet mostly hinges on the weekly mystery stories, but the interplay between the characters isn’t to be missed either. While season 5 was largely hit or miss when it came to delivering compelling episodes, the finale embraced the change and gave viewers something different. While it’s clear that she still has a long way to go with Blake, the ending of season 5 made it clear that Eliza wouldn’t spend her time pining away without actually doing something about her feelings.