Channel 5’s Murder Most Puzzling Is the Ultimate Guessing Game for Cosy Crime Lovers

A charming, twisty, puzzle-packed mystery romp

If you’re a lover of cosy crime, crossword conundrums, and characters as sharp as they are unpredictable, then Channel 5’s brand-new three-part series “Murder Most Puzzling” is the cosy crime drama you didn’t know you needed. Based on Parnell Hall’s beloved Puzzle Lady Mysteries, this delightfully twisty and gently eccentric series blends classic whodunit elements with whip-smart wordplay, eccentric townsfolk, and a leading lady who might give Jessica Fletcher a run for her money.

Let me say it upfront: I love a good cosy crime. Give me an amateur sleuth, a quaint village, a suspicious councillor or two, and I’m in heaven. So when I heard that Channel 5 was adapting The Puzzle Lady Mysteries into a three-part series—with Phyllis Logan no less!—I practically cleared my schedule.

“Murder Most Puzzling” is cosy crime at its finest: funny, fast-paced, full of clever clues, and never trying to be anything other than what it is—a charming, twisty, puzzle-packed mystery romp. If you’re after realism and forensic detail, look elsewhere. But if you want a bit of escapism with a side of sharp-tongued sleuthing, then this one’s for you.

Episode 1: A Body, A Crossword, and a Newcomer in Town

The first feature-length episode aired on Thursday, June 19, and it’s already clear this is not your average murder mystery. Set in the fictional (and irresistibly quaint) market town of Bakerbury, “Murder Most Puzzling” introduces us to Cora Felton, aka “The Puzzle Lady,” played to perfection by the incomparable Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey). Cora is a crossword columnist with a messy past, a sharp tongue, and a knack for solving murders—as long as there’s a cryptic clue involved. When a body is found with a crossword puzzle pinned to it and the local police are stumped, DCI Derek Hooper (Adam Best) begrudgingly turns to Cora for help. But here’s the catch: Cora isn’t quite who she says she is. And as she digs deeper into the murder—and a possible link to a cold case—she finds herself edging closer to a dangerous truth. All while balancing nosy neighbours, dodgy town officials, and an ever-growing list of frenemies.

The first episode is a tight, two-hour joyride of puzzles, puns, and plot twists, with just the right amount of cheek and charm. It ends, satisfyingly, with a solved case—but leaves us knowing Bakerbury is far from finished with its secrets.

Credit: Channel 5

A Cosy Treat with Bite

Let’s get something out of the way: cosy crime isn’t trying to be Silent Witness. It doesn’t need gritty realism or buckets of blood to be effective. What it does need is charm, cleverness, and characters that feel like old friends within minutes—and “Murder Most Puzzling” ticks every box. Cora is a standout sleuth: equal parts brilliant and brash, with a penchant for cocktails, chaos, and casual lawbreaking. Phyllis Logan’s performance is a joy to watch as Cora Felton, delivering a performance that’s equal parts sharp, chaotic, and completely magnetic. Known to many as the stoic Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey, Logan flips the script here—playing Cora with a gleeful irreverence that makes her impossible not to root for. She’s brash, unpredictable, and hides a vulnerable edge beneath her crossword-solving bravado. There’s a twinkle in her eye that tells you she’s three steps ahead of everyone in the room, even when she’s causing utter chaos. Logan brings the perfect energy to the role: cosy enough for a Sunday afternoon mystery binge, but with just the right dose of mischief to keep things fresh. If Cora’s a little bit Miss Marple, a little bit Jessica Fletcher, and just a touch unhinged? Well, that’s exactly what makes her—and Logan’s performance—such a standout, snooping, quipping, and bulldozing her way through Bakerbury’s polite society.

The ensemble cast delivers across the board. Charlotte Hope is wonderfully grounded as Cora’s nerdy but capable niece, Sherry Carter. Alistair Brammer brings charm and chemistry as roving journalist Anton Grant, especially as sparks fly between him and Sherry. Meanwhile, Yasmin Seky as morally ambiguous lawyer Becky Baidwan steals every scene she’s in with a gleefully slippery performance that keeps you guessing where her loyalties lie.

Credit: Channel 5

A Town Full of Secrets and Suspects

Bakerbury, quite honestly, is a cosy crime lover’s dream. The kind of fictional English town that immediately makes you want to pack a weekend bag, grab a thermos, and go snooping around the village green. It’s sleepy, yes—but there’s a simmering tension under the bunting, and everyone seems to be hiding something. You get the sense that if you turned over the right cobblestone, you’d find a long-forgotten scandal or a missing will. It’s the kind of delightfully odd little town that feels like it’s been plucked straight out of an Aardman film—think Wallace and Gromit meets Midsomer Murders, with a generous sprinkle of crossword clues. It’s all bunting-lined streets, twitching curtains, and suspiciously over-friendly neighbours, where everyone seems to have an unusual hobby or a vaguely incriminating past. The locals are a riot of eccentricity, each one more peculiar than the last, and all brimming with secrets they’d rather not share. There’s something so endearing about this place, even as the bodies pile up. It’s that perfect cosy crime balance: charming and cartoonish on the surface, but with a satisfyingly sinister undertone bubbling just beneath.

The mayor (played to thunderous perfection by Richard Croxford) is an absolute shouty nightmare—a bully in a blazer, stomping about the station demanding results. I knew from the moment he stomped onscreen that he was up to no good. He’s as sleazy as they come: barking orders, dodging accountability, and practically dripping with corruption. There’s something deeply fishy about him, and not just because of his relentless shouting. If you ask me, he’s the kind of character who knows exactly what skeletons are buried where—and probably helped bury a few himself.

Credit: Channel 5

Every single local is either wonderfully eccentric or suspiciously vague—or both. There are so many red herrings in this town, it’s a wonder the fish market hasn’t noticed. It’s all very Agatha Christie and Murder She Wrote with a slightly sharper, cheekier edge. But what I loved is how Cora, with zero subtlety and maximum chaos, starts assembling her little team of accidental investigators. You can tell they didn’t sign up for this, and yet they’re all drawn in by her sheer force of personality (or just dragged along in her wake). Sherry’s hesitant but brilliant, Anton’s nosy but useful, and even Becky Baidwan, who could go either way morally, add a brilliant layer of unpredictability.

They’re not professionals, far from it—but that’s what makes it so much fun. They bicker, make mistakes, get distracted, and occasionally uncover game-changing clues completely by accident. I found myself rooting for them like I’d known them for years. And that, to me, is one of the greatest joys of a proper cosy mystery: that sense of a small, imperfect team taking on a big mystery, with plenty of tea and tonic breaks along the way.

Credit: Channel 5

Episode 2: Birthday Blues and Another Body

By the time Episode 2 rolled around, I was fully on board. It’s Cora’s birthday, and naturally, she’s grumpy—it’s been “too quiet” since the Graveyard Killer case. Of course, that quiet doesn’t last long in the beautifully batty world of Bakerbury, where even birthdays don’t come without buried secrets.

Cora, naturally, isn’t one to sit around blowing out candles when there’s a fresh mystery to sink her teeth into. This time, she’s asked to revisit an old murder conviction, and from the moment she steps through the gates of Bakerbury Prison, it’s clear this case is anything but straightforward. One of the highlights for me was meeting new characters like the no-nonsense Governor Peacock—a man who clearly knows more than he lets on, and who might just be another carefully placed pawn in Mayor Firth’s ever-widening web of secrets. As Cora follows a trail of cryptic clues and suspicious silences, I found myself eagerly trying to connect the dots alongside her. It’s also clear that DCI Hooper is starting to lose patience with Cora’s off-book antics, and their friction adds a fun edge, especially as Cora finds herself in hot water more than once. Still, watching her bulldoze through bureaucracy with crossword clues in one hand and sarcasm in the other is endlessly entertaining.

Credit: Channel 5

The second feature-length episode kicks things up a notch, and I was completely glued from the get-go. Cora might be celebrating a birthday, but of course, in true Puzzle Lady fashion, she’d rather be unravelling a murder than unwrapping presents. This episode leans into one of my favourite cosy crime tropes—the cold case that refuses to stay buried—and delivers plenty of twists, shady characters, and suspicious coincidences that had me side-eyeing everyone. Bakerbury’s not just hiding secrets under its bunting—it’s practically built on them. I loved how the story gave Cora even more space to stir up trouble, especially as her investigation begins ruffling all the wrong feathers.

This episode deepens both the mystery and the characters. We get a more layered look at Bakerbury’s tangled web of corruption, with conmen and crooked officials lurking just beneath the surface of village life. This episode took things a bit darker, and I appreciated that shift in tone. Something is compelling about how this series keeps a light, witty tone while still giving its characters emotional weight. Cora, for all her swagger, is carrying some serious baggage—and Logan plays that beautifully.

I also loved that the supporting cast gets more time to shine here. Sherry (Charlotte Hope) is turning into a real asset, and the chemistry between her and Anton (Alistair Brammer) is giving strong “will-they-won’t-they” energy. And yes, I am fully invested in them now.

A Love Letter to Cosy Crime

I can’t for the life of me understand the critical bashing this series has received. Perhaps it’s because some critics still don’t “get” cosy crime. They forget that not all detective dramas need to be hard-boiled or blood-soaked. Cosy mysteries are meant to be fun, character-driven, and clever—more puzzle than procedural. “Murder Most Puzzling” is all of that and then some.

This series understands the assignment: tea (or a Bloody Mary), a biscuit (preferably shaped like a crossword), and a satisfying mystery solved just in time for supper. It wears its genre proudly, never trying to be anything it’s not—and in doing so, becomes something rather brilliant. Phyllis Logan’s Cora Felton is a dazzling addition to Channel 5’s growing roster of cosy crime heroines, taking her place alongside the likes of The Marlow Murder Club, The Madame Blanc Mysteries, and The Good Ship Murder. And with over 20 novels in the original Puzzle Lady series, there’s plenty of potential for more episodes to come.

Credit: Channel 5

Final Thoughts: My Cosy Crime Comfort Watch of the Year

As both a critic and a lifelong fan of cosy crime—especially the kind that comes with a side of wordplay—”Murder Most Puzzling” felt tailor-made for me. I grew up devouring Agatha Christie novels and sharpening my mind with cryptic crosswords, so watching a show that cleverly combines the two felt like pure indulgence. My love of crosswords stems from Thursday evening calls with my late grandmother, whom I loved dearly and miss every day. We were a puzzling pair—she’d sit with the newspaper, pen in hand, and I’d be on the other end of the line, helping her crack the clues. Watching this series brought a wave of nostalgia and warmth; she would have adored Cora Felton, with her wit, stubborn streak, and mischief. It’s this personal connection—wrapped in charm, cleverness, and a shared love of puzzles—that made “Murder Most Puzzling” feel like more than just a show. It felt like coming home.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I adored this series. Yes, it’s a bit silly. Yes, it leans into cliché. But that’s exactly what I wanted from it. “Murder Most Puzzling” is funny, sharp, and delightfully silly—everything a cosy crime series should be. Its puzzles are genuinely clever, its characters are likeable in all their eccentricity, and its tone strikes that perfect balance between light-hearted fun and mystery intrigue. Phyllis Logan is the show’s not-so-secret weapon: her Cora Felton is complicated, hilarious, and completely captivating. This is a show that knows what it is and embraces it: cosy crime, done right. Honestly, this is the kind of show I want to watch curled up with a cuppa and a plate of Crossword Lady biscuits, which, by the way, absolutely need to exist. It’s clever, a little cheeky, and the perfect blend of comfort and suspense.

Cora Felton is now firmly on my list of favourite fictional sleuths. And with over 20 books in the original series, I’m hoping Channel 5 gives us more. This is easily the next big cosy franchise if they play their cards (or crossword clues) right.

With two tantalising cases already under her belt, Cora Felton is closing in on the final, most cryptic puzzle of them all. The third and final feature-length episode promises to tie together the loose threads that have been quietly weaving their way through Bakerbury’s bunting-draped streets. Secrets are simmering just beneath the surface, alliances are shifting, and one last twist may change everything we thought we knew. Cora’s got one more mystery to solve—and if the past two episodes are anything to go by, it’ll be packed with clever clues, sharp wit, and more than a few surprises. Stay tuned until next Thursday, when Murder Most Puzzling returns with its thrilling conclusion. All will be revealed… just don’t expect it to be neatly wrapped up without a few crossed words first, after all, it’s not over until the Puzzle Lady Sings.

Credit: Channel 5

Murder Most Puzzling continues with episode 3 on Thursday, July 3rd, 2025, at 8 pm on Channel 5.

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