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T2 WHATS UP! January 17 - 23, 2021 BY KYLA BREWER TV Media P eriod dramas may not be everyone's cup of tea, but shows such as "Peaky Blinders," "The Crown" and "Downton Abbey" have captivated millions in re- cent years. Now, fans of the genre can escape into the Vic- torian era as a female sleuth solves crimes in London. Kate Phillips ("Wolf Hall") stars as Eliza Scarlet, the daughter of a private detective who takes up her father's trade in Masterpiece Mystery's "Miss Scarlet and the Duke," premier- ing Sunday, Jan. 17, on PBS. She enlists the help of her father's old protege, Duke Wellington (Stuart Martin, "Jamestown"), to help her navigate the male- dominated profession. Filmed in Dublin, the British-Irish pro- duction consists of six episodes that will fly under PBS's "Mas- terpiece Mystery!" banner until the end of February. While there are sure to be comparisons to yet another fa- mous Victorian-era detective, don't worry, this isn't just an- other rehash of the Sherlock Holmes tale. Eliza Scarlet is her own woman, and that is part of what attracted Phillips to the role. "What's so brilliant about Eli- za is that she gives this appear- ance of being a very refined Victorian lady and, to some ex- tent, she is that," Phillips said in an interview with the U.K.'s Al- ibi Channel, the show's original home. "But she's as scrappy and feisty as any woman today and I totally love her for that." Eliza may not be based di- rectly on Sherlock, but still, one wonders whether her surname is a nod to "A Study in Scarlet," Doyle's first novel to feature the now legendary detective. One thing Sherlock and Eliza do have in common is that they are brilliant detectives, Eliza having learned the craft from her father, retired police officer Henry Scarlet (Kevin Doyle, "Downton Abbey"). For his part, Duke Wellington is no stuffy Watson, nor is he just a mere sidekick to Eliza. A detective inspector with Scot- land Yard, he is a roguish ladies' man who has known Eliza since childhood. In the beginning, he does not seem to think that a woman has any business doing detective work, but he agrees to work with her just the same and they end up tackling a number of cases throughout the miniseries. Their world is populated by a host of other fascinating char- acters, including Duke's ser- geant at Scotland Yard, Frank Jenkins (Danny Midwinter, "Casualty"), and Duke's boss, Superintendent Sterling (Nick Dunning, "The Tudors"). Meanwhile, shadowy under- world figure Moses (Ansu Ka- bia, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," 2019) keeps the authorities on their toes, and the seemingly affable aristo- crat, Rupert Parker (Andrew Gower, "Outlander"), is actual- ly leading a double life. Eliza's allies include her loyal house- keeper Ivy (Cathy Belton, "Philomena," 2013). "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" creator Rachael New ("Grantchester") imagined the Kate Phillips stars in Masterpiece Mystery's "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" Move over Sherlock continued on page T10 TV FEATURE 5 x 5 Your subscription includes full access to the digital replica with all of its great extra features! INTERACTIVE PUZZLES! Available on the digital replica. Subscribe today and receive an iPad with your subscription*. *iPad must be returned within 30 days of termination of account. Call 479-684-5509 or go to nwaonline.com/nwaipad