Bookish series 2 is heading our way – and it was confirmed even before the first series of the new Mark Gatiss mystery had even aired on U&Alibi.

The broadcaster recently confirmed that work had begun on more episodes of this period crime thriller co-written by Mark and author Matthew Sweet. Mark will return to pen additional episodes and also star in the show as the charismatic and curious sleuth Gabriel Book.

Starting on July 16, the first series transported viewers to 1946 London. Here, we find a city still reeling from World War II with local police facing plenty of tough-to-crack crimes.

Thankfully, they had help from Gabriel (Mark Gatiss), the super-smart and debonair bookshop owner who splits his time between selling dusty novels and helping bobbies bust baddies.

That said, he’s not without his own secrets. Together with his platonic wife Trottie (Polly Walker), this loving couple worked to hide Gabriel’s true sexual orientation during a perilous era where being gay could lead to your arrest.

While details on Bookish series 2 remain sparse at this early stage, below you’ll find our official case file featuring everything we know about it thus far…

Is there a Bookish series 2?

Confirmation for Bookish series 2 arrived in May 2025 – before season 1 had even landed.

Speaking of the show’s speedy renewal, Mark Gatiss said: “I’m thrilled that the team at U&Alibi are allowing me to dive back into the world of Bookish and create more fiendish crimes for Gabriel Book and the team to solve.

“I can’t wait for viewers to immerse themselves in the world we’ve created when the first series airs in a few months’ time.”

How many episodes will it have?

According to the broadcaster, Bookish series 2 will mirror the episode format of the first. This means we’ll get six instalments, each lasting 70 minutes.

Gabriel’s cases in Bookish series 1 span two episodes, with the full series unpicking three crimes. At the moment, it’s unclear whether Bookish series 2 will follow suit.

Who is in the cast?

So far, a full cast list for Bookish series 2 isn’t available. However, we know that Mark will be back as the show’s high-thinking hero.

The first series saw him joined by a group of regular stars including Polly Walker as Gabriel’s wife Trottie, and stage star Elliot Levey as London copper Inspector Bliss. Each shared a keen and close connection to Mark’s character.

We can confirm that all of the central cast of season 1 will be reprising their roles. Gatiss will be joined once more by Polly Walker, Connor Finch, Elliot Levey, Blake Harrison and Buket Kömür.

Bookish series 1 also saw an array of guest stars pass through the various cases Gabriel was working on with the local police. These included the likes of Line of Duty‘s Daniel Mays, former Doctor Who Paul McGann, The Gentlemen star Joely Richardson, and Kate & Koji’s Blake Harrison to name a few.

With so many starry names popping up, it set the stage nicely for even more notable actors to appear in future episodes of the show.

Does Bookish series 2 have a release date?

Unfortunately Bookish series 2 does not have a release yet – but we know it will be 2026. In August 2025, Mark Gatiss confirmed they were currently filming.

In a social media post, he posed next to a sign reading “Bookish season 2 read through”.

The post’s caption read: “Today, we had a read through of the brilliant scripts for Bookish series 2! Roll on 2026.”

Bookish series 1 was filmed in April 2024, with a release date of July the following year.

 

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Is there a book released with TV show?

Bookish’s co-writer Sweet has also written a tie-in book that landed on shelves on July 10. This new story chronicles Gabriel’s cases from the point of view of Nora. She’s a character in first series, played by Buket Kömür.

The TV series aired on U&Alibi. This channel is entirely focused on showing mystery and crime dramas. For viewers in the UK, this is accessible via U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview, Freesat and Freely.

Meanwhile, those in Ireland can watch via Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW.

Read more: Literally everything you need to know about Bookish

Bookish series 2 is coming to U&alibi. Series 1 is currently available to stream.