Mark Benton and Jo Joyner to lead star in BBC daytime drama

“Shakespeare & Hathaway is a modern private eye crime drama set in Iconic Stratford-upon-Avon and leafy Warwickshire, playing upon Shakespearean themes with warm witty characters and compelling plot lines. Paul and Jude have done a fantastic job creating the show and I’m really looking forward to seeing the cast bringing it to life.” – Will Trotter, Head of BBC Daytime Drama, BBC Studios

BBC Daytime has signed up Mark Benton and Jo Joyner to portray the star characters in BBC One daytime detective drama, Shakespeare & Hathaway – Private Investigators. The ten-part drama from BBC Studios, created by Paul Matthew Thompson and Jude Tindall, will see Frank Hathaway (Benton), a hardboiled private investigator, and his rookie sidekick Lu Shakespeare (Joyner) form the unlikeliest of partnerships as they investigate the secrets of rural Warwickshire’s residents.

Beneath the picturesque charm lies a hotbed of mystery and intrigue: extramarital affairs, celebrity stalkers, missing police informants, care home saboteurs, rural rednecks and murderous magicians, embezzling accountants and abducted au pairs, blackmail, comp claims and custody cases, all-night stake-outs and professional hits. Our odd couple of detectives will put the world to rights as they snoop and pry. They disagree on almost everything, yet somehow, together, they make a surprisingly effective team. Although they would never admit it.