Now, our eponymous Matthew Shardlake is a lawyer, living as comfortable a life as he can manage as a scoliosis sufferer in 16th century England. When a commissioner is found dead in the remote town of Scarnsea, though, everything changes – because that commissioner was gathering evidence to close the monastery, and on the orders of Thomas Cromwell, no less.

With Cromwell’s political (and, let’s face it, literal) survival now hanging in the balance, he orders Shardlake to launch an investigation, solve the murder and close the monastery. Failure is not an option. And, as if all that weren’t enough, Cromwell also insists that Shardlake be accompanied by the cocky, good-looking Jack Barak – who could be an innocent assistant, but could just as likely be one of Cromwell’s spies.

“At Scarnsea, the duo are met with hostility, suspicion and paranoia by the monks who fear for their future and will seemingly stop at nothing to preserve their order,” promises the synopsis.

Sold to the woman clutching a battered collection of Philippa Gregory novels!

Who stars in Shardlake?

The Innocents’ Arthur Hughes has been cast as Matthew Shardlake, a character who has been described as being “one of the few honest men in a world beset with scheming and plots”.

Sean Bean, meanwhile, takes on the role of Thomas Cromwell, the dangerous and all-powerful right-hand man to Henry VIII.

A Tudor murder mystery drama starring Sean Bean? Shardlake sounds like perfect TV, honestly