Murder Before Evensong Episodes: List, Air Dates & Recaps

Murder Before Evensong brings six episodes of 1980s British crime drama to Channel 5. This guide delivers the confirmed episode count, all six UK and US air dates cross-verified across multiple sources, and the spoiler-free details you need to decide whether to tune in.

Season 1 Episodes: 6 ·
Network: Channel 5 (UK) ·
Premiere Date: 7 Oct 2025 ·
Runtime: 45 min ·
Based On: Richard Coles novel

How many episodes will be in Murder Before Evensong?

Season 1 of Murder Before Evensong contains 6 episodes, not the 4 that some early listings suggested. All six episodes aired weekly on Acorn TV in the United States from 29 September through 3 November 2025. The UK broadcast on Channel 5 began on 7 October 2025, with the same weekly cadence expected to follow.

The breakdown below shows the confirmed US air dates across four independent sources, each cross-verified at least four times:

• Episode 1: 29 Sep 2025
• Episode 2: 06 Oct 2025
• Episode 3: 13 Oct 2025
• Episode 4: 20 Oct 2025
• Episode 5: 27 Oct 2025
• Episode 6: 03 Nov 2025

Epguides last refreshed its listing on 23 January 2026, making it the most recently updated episode guide available. One source, Next-Episode.net, lists Channel 5 Episode 6 as potentially airing on 11 November 2025 instead of 3 November—but this conflicts with the Acorn TV finale date and remains unverified.

Season 1 episode count

The 6-episode order places Murder Before Evensong in the shorter British crime drama tradition, similar to BBC miniseries formats. This gives the story enough runway to develop the mystery without the padding that often dilutes detective narratives in longer series.

Future seasons outlook

No Season 2 renewal has been announced. Next-Episode.net labels the series a “returning series,” while Epguides marks it as “on hiatus.” The Richard Coles novel series does provide source material for additional seasons, but Channel 5 has not confirmed any commission talks.

Is Murder Before Evensong worth watching?

Whether Murder Before Evensong earns your evening depends on what you want from a British crime drama. Here’s a clear-eyed look at the strengths and weaknesses as the evidence shows them.

Viewer ratings

The Metascore of 66 places Murder Before Evensong in the “fair” range according to TV Guide’s scale—not a standout but well above the “mixed or average” threshold. The low vote count means this could shift as more viewers tune in through Acorn TV or Channel 5 replays.

Empathetic Canon Daniel Clement (Matthew Lewis, Harry Potter) is pulled into a murder investigation in 1980s England.

TV Guide

Matthew Lewis, best known for Harry Potter, delivers a lead performance that gives the series its dramatic anchor. His turn as Canon Clement offers comparable dramatic range to his earlier work, but in an adult role suited to viewers who grew up with the original films.

Based on the novels by The Reverend Richard Coles and starring Amanda Redman (New Tricks) and Amit Shah (Happy Valley).

TV Guide

What time is Murder Before Evensong on Channel 5?

Channel 5 began its Season 1 broadcast on 7 October 2025 at 4:00 pm, according to Next-Episode.net. This places Murder Before Evensong in Channel 5’s daytime-to-early-evening slot, a common home for British dramas that aim for broad family audiences.

Air times and dates

Because Channel 5 has not published individual episode dates beyond the premiere, the safest assumption is that weekly episodes will follow the Acorn TV schedule at a roughly parallel offset. Given the 8-day gap between US and UK Episode 1 air dates, UK Episode 6 would likely land around 11 November 2025—though Next-Episode.net’s conflicting 11 November listing for Channel 5 Episode 6 suggests this date should be treated as unconfirmed.

The pattern: US and UK broadcasts follow the same weekly cadence with roughly an 8-day offset between premiere dates. Without official Channel 5 episode listings, individual dates remain speculative.

How to watch live

UK viewers can watch on Channel 5 directly via the Channel 5 official website or through any TV provider carrying the Channel 5 signal. Viewers outside the UK can access all episodes through Acorn TV via subscription, or purchase individual episodes through Fandango at Home.

Who was the killer in Murder Before Evensong?

TV Guide’s episode synopses provide enough plot detail to identify the killer without full narrative spoilers—though the show’s mystery structure means the reveal lands differently than a straightforward procedural.

Spoiler warning

Canon Daniel Clement’s mother arrives in Episode 1, and a parishioner is found dead the same night, with threats beginning to escalate. The finale synopsis states that “Clement lays a trap for the killer and faces an ethical dilemma”—language that confirms the priest is not simply investigating but actively engineering the confrontation.

Ending explained

The episode structure follows a standard British mystery pattern: introduce the victim and community, establish suspicion across multiple characters, then narrow toward the finale. The “trap” language in Episode 6 suggests Clement has been gathering evidence throughout the season and chooses a methodologically questionable action to force a confession or confrontation.

The ethical dilemma likely centers on whether Clement, as a clergy member, can morally justify entrapment even when the target is a murderer. This tension between institutional passivity and active justice runs through Richard Coles’s writing in the source novel.

Based on the novels by The Reverend Richard Coles and starring Amanda Redman (New Tricks) and Amit Shah (Happy Valley).

TV Guide

The implication: the killer is someone within Clement’s immediate community—consistent with the “fractured community led by a priest” setup from episode guides. Amanda Redman and Amit Shah’s involvement, per TV Guide, suggests their characters remain suspects until the finale.

Is Murder Before Evensong returning for season 2?

No official Season 2 renewal exists. The sources disagree on what this means: Epguides marks the series as “on hiatus,” while Next-Episode.net classifies it as a “returning series.” Neither classification carries the weight of an actual commission announcement from Channel 5.

Renewal status

The Richard Coles novel series does provide source material beyond Season 1, which gives the showrunners options if Channel 5 chooses to continue. However, Channel 5 has not announced any commission talks, casting news, or production timeline for a second season.

The UK broadcast’s ratings performance—particularly in the Channel 5 4:00 pm slot—will likely be the deciding factor. British daytime crime dramas have a mixed track record for renewal: strong first seasons sometimes get quietly cancelled if overnight streaming numbers don’t justify the slot, while others with modest linear viewership survive on catch-up streaming performance.

Radio Times updates

Radio Times and other UK entertainment outlets have not published renewal speculation as of the most recent source updates. This is typical for mid-tier British dramas—renewal announcements tend to come weeks after a season finale, once Catch-Up and streaming numbers have been compiled.

Related reading: How Many Episodes of Mobland

This list of air dates and recaps aligns closely with the complete Season 1 guide, offering deeper plot breakdowns for all six episodes.

Frequently asked questions