MASTERPIECE Studio is your backstage pass to the PBS series—from Sherlock to Poldark . After the show, turn off the TV and tune in to MASTERPIECE Studio for the scoop with host Jace Lacob. Listen for exclusive interviews with the cast and crew of your favorite shows. Get the history lowdown behind the people and places you see on screen, and hear revealing stories from the set. MASTERPIECE Studio is made possible by Viking Cruises and Raymond James. Sponsors for MASTERPIECE on PBS are Viking Cruises, Raymond James, and The MASTERPIECE Trust.
WARNING: This episode contains significant spoilers for Grantchester Season 11. If you haven’t yet watched the series finale of Grantchester , make sure you do before listening to this episode as we’re about to discuss some significant spoilers. The final episode of the final season of Grantchester begins with many of our beloved characters’ futures hanging in the balance, and many lingering questions. But perhaps the biggest question we’re all wondering at this point is, how will we get by without Grantchester ? We’re joined by Daisy Coulam, Rishi Nair, Kacey Ainsworth, Tessa Peake-Jones, Bradley Hall, Melissa Johns, and Al Weaver to bid a fond farewell to this beloved mystery drama.
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Seven of Grantchester Season 11. Since Season 1 of Grantchester , actor Al Weaver has been combing down his hair, putting on a sweater vest, and transforming into the timid, yet kind and loving, Leonard Finch. In this conversation, Al talks about the early days of Grantchester , sharing car rides to the set with Mrs. C actor Tessa Peake-Jones, and how his character learned to live his truths and embrace his individuality over 11 seasons of Grantchester .
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Six of Grantchester Season 11. In several ways, actor Melissa Johns’ real life has paralleled her character’s, Jennifer Peters, née Miss Scott. Over the past few years, they’ve both shared significant life milestones. In fact, Melissa has yet to know her 30s without Miss Scott. In this episode, Melissa talks about how her character has made herself invaluable to the police station, as well as acting alongside Bradley Hall, Al Weaver, Robson Green, and finally, what Grantchester has meant to her.
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for Episode Five of Grantchester Season 11. Actor Bradley Hall’s Grantchester character Larry Peters continues to invest in himself, and it’s paying off. Not only is he married to the woman of his dreams, but he is now a Detective Sergeant. Like his character, Bradley has also continued to grow through his time on Grantchester, pitching the drive-in movie setting for Episode One and directing second unit photography for several episodes. In this conversation, Bradley discusses both his own and his character’s evolution through Grantchester .
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 Grantchester , what drives Mrs. C, and how her character has opened up through experience over the past 11 seasons.
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 homemaker to businesswoman, and how she navigates her personal and professional relationships.
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 with his birth mother, Mira. In this episode, Rishi takes us through Alphy’s latest trials, and how learning the truth about his past shakes him to his very core.
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. Today, Daisy returns to the podcast to dissect the first episode of Season 11 — the beginning of the end of Grantchester .
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, head to YouTube.com/masterpiecepbs and click on Podcasts.
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 Year At Highclere: Secrets and Stories from the Real Downton Abbey, and shares what it’s like to call this piece of living history home, as well as all things ghosts, gardens, King Tutankhamun, Downton Abbey , and more.
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 producer, Debbie Horsfield to look back at Season 1, and peer into the future of the Forsyte clan.
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 informs their on-screen dynamic.
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 family, and her daughter’s future amidst emotional devastation.
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 shocked back into reality while honeymooning in Paris.
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 family saga for a modern audience.
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 decades long career.
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 for The Forsytes , coming to MASTERPIECE on Sunday, March 22, we’re joined by MASTERPIECE mainstay, actor Tom Durant-Pritchard, who plays Montague Dartie, to take a sneak peek at this highly anticipated upcoming drama.
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 on how their characters, Tristan Farnon and Charlotte Beauvoir, simultaneously handle loss and celebration in this poignant Christmas episode of All Creatures Great and Small .
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 towards the future where all the stars seem to be aligned for our favorite Victorian-era private detective.
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