MASTERPIECE Studio

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Four of Grantchester Season 11. In real life, actor Tessa Peake-Jones couldn’t be further from the dour and opinionated vicarage housekeeper Sylvia Chapman. Tessa is jolly, gentle, and loves to smile—but these differences are exactly why playing Mrs. C is such a joy for her. In this conversation, we talk with Tessa about the early days of Grantch...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Three of Grantchester Season 11. Actor Kacey Ainsworth has been with Grantchester from the very beginning, first appearing on screen in Episode One. Since then, her character Cathy Keating has had quite the transformation, engineered through her own ingenuity and determination. In this conversation, Kacey discusses Cathy’s metamorphosis from home...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Two of Grantchester Season 11. For the past two seasons of Grantchester , actor Rishi Nair has portrayed Reverend Alphy Kottaram through highs and lows, from the confrontational meeting with Geordie upon his arrival at the vicarage, to finally finding a place of belonging. But nothing compares to the roller coaster that is his new relationship wi...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode One of Grantchester Season 11. Grantchester head writer and executive producer Daisy Coulam has spent over a decade working on this beloved mystery drama creatively exploring murders, developing long life arcs for her characters, and navigating three vicar transitions, all while managing to deliver a sense of joy, belonging, and found family. Tod...

This interview with Grantchester head writer and executive producer, Daisy Coulam, was recorded two weeks after the 11th and final season of Grantchester finished filming. But rest assured: there are no spoilers for Season 11 ahead as Daisy takes a look back at what Grantchester has meant to her. This conversation was originally recorded on video. To watch this special MASTERPIECE Studio interview...

The 8th Countess of Carnarvon wears many hats including author, chartered accountant, social media influencer, gin magnate, and impeccable hostess. Lady Carnarvon and her husband, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, are the latest stewards of the historic Highclere Castle, which you may recognize as the primary filming location for Downton Abbey . In this episode, Lady Carnarvon discusses her new book, A Y...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for The Forsytes Season 1. With Season 2 of The Forsytes coming to MASTERPIECE in 2027, we wanted to give you a taste of what to expect from the next installment of this gripping family saga. In this episode, we’re joined by actors Susan Hampshire, Millie Gibson, Joshua Orpin, Tuppence Middleton, Stephen Moyer, Jack Davenport, and writer and executive produc...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 6 of The Forsytes Season 1. On screen, actors Stephen Moyer and Jack Davenport play brothers and bitter rivals Jolyon Forsyte Sr. and James Forsyte. But off screen, the two couldn’t be closer. In this episode, we talk with Stephen and Jack about being neighbors, playing golf, raising children, and how their off-screen friendship of 35+ years info...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 5 of The Forsytes Season 1. For actor Tuppence Middleton, Frances Forsyte is a complex character. Her heart may be in the right place, but when faced with an impossible situation, she makes some questionable decisions out of self preservation. In this episode, Tuppence shares how her character does all she can to hold together her marriage, the f...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 4 of The Forsytes Season 1. When preparing for a role, actor Joshua Orpin opens his heart to the human being behind the character and tries to understand why they are the way they are. In this episode, Joshua talks about getting into the mind of the controlling and possessive Soames Forsyte in Season 1 of The Forsytes , and how his character is s...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 3 of The Forsytes Season 1. Actor Millie Gibson joined The Forsytes cast as the artistic and free spirited ballet dancer, Irene Heron. In this conversation, Millie discusses how her character takes a leap of faith — a leap that promises her a world far beyond anything she could have ever dreamt.

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 2 of The Forsytes Season 1. Screenwriter Debbie Horsfield was last on the podcast in 2019 to talk about the series finale of her adaptation of Poldark . Today we welcome her back to talk about her latest project, The Forsytes . In this episode, Debbie discusses the choices she made reimagining John Galsworthy’s novels about the landmark British f...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 1 of The Forsytes Season 1. For acting legend Susan Hampshire, playing Fleur in the 1967 adaptation of The Forsyte Saga was a huge moment in her career. Now, nearly 60 years later, she returns to the story as the wealthy Lady Carteret in The Forsytes . In this conversation, we talk about how Susan approached playing Lady Carteret, as well as her...

The Forsytes is a modern reimagining of John Galsworthy’s landmark novels which chronicle the lives and loves, trials and triumphs of a wealthy Victorian stockbroking family. Written by Debbie Horsfield, who also wrote MASTERPIECE’s 2015 adaptation of Poldark , this new series depicts the tensions between tradition and self-sacrifice, and personal happiness and the pursuit of love. In preparation...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 7 of All Creatures Great and Small Season 6. With the war over, Darrowby’s residents are eager to indulge in the merriment of the holidays. For some, this will be the happiest Christmas yet. But for many others, it serves as a painful reminder of the loved ones who never made it back. In this episode, actors Callum Woodhouse and Gaia Wise reflect...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Miss Scarlet Season 6. At the start of Episode 6, Eliza Scarlet and Alexander Blake are told they cannot work together and be romantically involved. But things have a way of working out for Eliza Scarlet. In this bonus episode, actor Kate Phillips and writer Rachael New return to the podcast to look back on this riveting season, and glance t...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 6 of All Creatures Great and Small Season 6. In this season of All Creatures Great and Small , actor Callum Woodhouse’s Tristan Farnon arrives back in Darrowby on leave from the war. While his sense of humor and playful spirit are still intact, it’s clear something is eating away at Tristan. In this conversation, Callum talks about how Tristan ha...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Miss Scarlet Season 6. For actor Sam Buchanan’s Detective George Willows, Episode 5 of Miss Scarlet is a baptism by fire, as he and Tom Durant-Pritchard’s Inspector Blake team up on a dark and stormy night to keep things at Scotland Yard under control amidst strange and mysterious circumstances. Sam discusses joining the cast and how he appr...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Miss Scarlet Season 6. Miss Scarlet writer and creator Rachael New likes to have fun with her Victorian-era mystery series. Whether it’s having Eliza out of her element in a new relationship, or watching Moses and Clarence team up on a jewelry caper, Rachael delights in juxtaposing these moments of humor alongside serious crimes. In this epi...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 3 of All Creatures Great and Small Season 6. Actor Gaia Wise joins the cast of All Creatures Great and Small this season playing the down to earth Charlotte Beauvoir. In this conversation, Gaia shares what it was like being welcomed onto set, what she shares with her character, and how Charlotte and Tristan bond over their shared experiences in t...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 2 of Miss Scarlet Season 6. For actor Tom Durant-Pritchard, Eliza Scarlet and Alexander Blake’s new relationship is delightfully complicated. In this conversation, we hear about Blake’s side of this relationship and how he maintains a level head while keeping his romance with brilliant private detective Eliza a secret.  

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Miss Scarlet Season 6. Actor Kate Phillips joins us today to discuss how her character, Eliza Scarlet, deals with all of the new challenges in Season 6 and how she balances the professional with the private.

December 16, 2025 marks a special day in the world of arts and culture; the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen. Here at MASTERPIECE, we are admirers of Jane Austen. Through interviews with historian and television presenter Lucy Worsley, Miss Austen novelist Gill Hornby, screenwriter Andrew Davies, and MASTERPIECE’s Senior Series Producer, Erin Delaney, we’re looking back at Austen’s li...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Gold . In preparation for Season 2 of The Gold , coming to MASTERPIECE in 2026, we wanted to wrap up Season 1 with this special postscript episode. You’ll hear first from The Gold writer and executive producer Neil Forsyth about a few final details of the real-life story, followed by actor Hugh Bonneville who shares his thoughts on the su...

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Maigret . Actor Benjamin Wainwright is no stranger to MASTERPIECE audiences, having appeared in Endeavour , World on Fire , and Unforgotten . Today, he joins the podcast to talk about his latest MASTERPIECE role as the lead actor in a new production of Maigret . In this conversation, we discuss stepping into the long line of Maigrets, and how his charact...