Strike series 7: Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger return to investigate a religious cult in The Running Grave
The detectives gather evidence against a religious cult
Strike fans finally have something to celebrate as the detective drama with a difference is set to return in 2026 with series 7 The Running Grave.
Viewers last saw the show on screen in 2024 with The Ink Black Heart. And it’s felt like a long wait for the classy crime drama to return.
Now we have some tantalising details about the upcoming series, including plot, cast, and probably start date. Here’s everything we know so far.
Is there another series of Strike on BBC One?
Yes, there will be a series 7 of Strike, based on the Robert Galbraith book The Running Grave. Like the first six crime novels, the Beeb is also adapting the seventh – The Running Grave – as well as any other subsequent sequels including the most recent The Hallmarked Man (book 8).
The TV adaptations remain popular, not least because of the onscreen dynamic between Tom Burke’s Cormoran Strike and Holliday Grainger’s Robin Ellacott. Strike is one of the BBC’s most watched dramas, with the most recent instalment – The Ink Black Heart – averaging 7.1 million viewers across its run in 2024. So future commissions are a no-brainer.
Of course, every one now knows that Robert Galbraith is the male pseudonym for Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
What is the plot of Strike series 7 The Running Grave?
The upcoming series 7 of Strike, entitled The Running Grave, is arguable the most compelling plot so far. We see private investigators Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott hired to investigate a religious cult.
The wealthy Edensor family enlist the duo to gather evidence to discredit the Universal Humanitarian Church, who they believe have indoctrinated their son Will, and siphoned off his trust fund. Sir Colin and Sally Edensor are desperate to reconnect with their estranged son and will pay whatever it takes.
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As Strike gains valuable insight from former members on the outside, Robin takes on her most dangerous assignment yet. Sporting new blonde hair, she goes undercover at the cult’s secluded headquarters, Chapman Farm in Norfolk. And soon finds herself facing “unprecedented psychological and physical duress on the inside”.
Led by the charismatic Jonathan Wace, the church is shielded by a charitable façade, celebrity backers and aggressive lawyers who have silenced critics. Sounds familiar?
At the centre of the church’s “twisted mythology” is the story of the Drowned Prophet, Daiyu, believed to be divinely reincarnated. Solving the mystery of the Drowned Prophet’s death becomes key to the case, but leads the detectives into dangerous, unchartered territory.
We’re very excited for this one.
How many episodes will it be?
The Running Grave, the next instalment of Strike, will be five episodes of 60 minutes each. That makes it the longest series of Strike so far.
- The Cuckoo’s Calling in 2017 was three episodes of one hour long.
- The Silkworm, also in 2017, was just two.
- Career of Evil was two episodes in 2018.
- Lethal White in 2020 was four episodes.
- Troubled Blood in 2022 was also four episodes of one hour each.
- Lastly, The Ink Black Heart in 2024 was four episodes.
When’s the start date?
Although BBC One has not yet confirmed when Strike series 7 The Running Grave will be released, we’re pretty confident it will be in December 2026.
The crime drama frequently airs new episodes around Christmas. The sixth series, The Ink Black Heart, aired its final episodes in December 2024, continuing the trend of festive releases. Strike: Troubled Blood also aired during the 2022 festive period.
Who is in the cast?
Strike would be nothing without Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike. He’s best known for his roles in The Musketeers, The Hour, War & Peace, and The Lazarus Project. He’s also been in multiple films including Black Bag, The Souvenir, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Holliday Grainger returns as Robin Ellacott. She’s currently appearing in series 3 of The Capture, and recently portrayed a child abductor in The Stolen Girl.
Unforgotten’s Ruth Sheen will return as Pat, Strike’s office manager. Fellow returning cast members include Jack Greenlees as Sam Barclay, Tupele Dorgu as Midge, Natasha O’Keeffe as Charlotte, Sarah Sweeney as Lucy, Ben Crompton as Shanker, Stephen Hagan as DCI Richard Murphy, and Caitlin Innes Edwards as Ilsa.
The impressive British cast joining the cast of Strike series 7 The Running Grave includes:
- The Feud’s James Fleet as Sir Colin Edensor.
- EastEnders’ Nichola McAuliffe as Shelley Heaton.
- Happy Valley’s Keeley Forsyth as Mazu Wace.
- The Witcher’s Fabian McCallum as Will Edensor.
- Blue Lights’ John Lynch as Jonathan Wace.
Robert Galbraith’s Strike books in order
Strike’s The Running Grave is adapted for the screen by writer Tom Edge. He also adapted previous Strike instalments The Ink Black Heart, Troubled Blood, The Silkworm, Career of Evil and Lethal White.
Strike’s The Running Grave is adapted from Robert Galbraith’s popular crime novels. The Cuckoo’s Calling was published to critical acclaim in 2013 and went on to be a global bestseller. The Silkworm followed in 2014, with Career of Evil coming in 2015, and Lethal White in 2018 and Troubled Blood in 2020.
The Ink Black Heart was published in August 2022, and The Running Grave was published in September 2023. The eighth book in the series, The Hallmarked Man, was published in September 2025.
The Observer called the book “a page-turner that will keep you up all night”.
Author JK Rowling recently told The Times about her future plans for the Strike novel series. She explained: “I’ve got six books in my head. I’ve got the one I’m currently writing [The Hallmarked Man]. There’ll be two more Strikes, and then there are three more books that I want to get to.”
So, after The Hallmarked Man, JK Rowling has promised at least one more Strike book.
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