Channel 5’s Puzzle Lady (also known as Murder Most Puzzling), which premiered on June 19, 2025, has hooked viewers with its chilling blend of cozy mystery and dark whodunit, starring Downton Abbey’s Phyllis Logan as Cora Felton, the enigmatic “Puzzle Lady,” and her real-life husband, Kevin McNally, as her charming love interest, Gilbert. Set in the sleepy market town of Bakerbury, the series kicks off with the shocking discovery of a teenage girl’s body in a cemetery, a cryptic crossword clue tucked in her pocket, per radiotimes.com. Local detective DCI Hooper (Adam Best) enlists Cora’s crossword-solving genius to unmask the killer, delivering a Broadchurch-meets-Only Murders in the Building thriller that’s earned an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score and 1.5 million streams on My5, per goodhousekeeping.com. X is buzzing with fans calling it “addictive” and “impossible to switch off.”
The three-part series, adapted from Parnell Hall’s Puzzle Lady Mysteries, follows Cora’s unconventional sleuthing, with McNally’s Gilbert stirring romantic tension in episode three, aired July 3, 2025, per hellomagazine.com. Logan’s “magnetic” performance, described as “Miss Marple on steroids” by radiotimes.com, shines alongside Charlotte Hope as niece Sherry and Alistair Brammer as journalist Anton Grant. The plot twists through Bakerbury’s secrets, with the crossword clue unlocking a web of deceit, per whattowatch.com. X fans rave, one tweeting, “Phyllis and Kevin’s chemistry is fire—this is my new obsession!” Another posted, “That crossword twist? Pure genius!” Filmed in Northern Ireland’s picturesque Lisburn, per northernirelandscreen.co.uk, the series’ cozy yet sinister vibe captivates.
Directed by Tom Dalton, Puzzle Lady blends Logan’s wit with McNally’s charm, boosting Channel 5’s viewership by 10%, per industry reports. The real-life couple’s dynamic, rooted in their 2011 marriage, adds authenticity, per mirror.co.uk. Join the X frenzy and stream Puzzle Lady on My5 to dive into a small-town thriller where every clue could be deadly. Will Cora crack the case, or will Bakerbury’s secrets unravel her? This is 2025’s must-watch crime drama.
