Breaking the Victorian glass ceiling: ‘Miss Scarlet and the Duke’ premieres on PBS

Period dramas may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but shows such as “Peaky Blinders,” “The Crown” and “Downton Abbey” have captivated millions in recent years. Now, fans of the genre can escape into the Victorian 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,” premiering 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 maledominated profession. Filmed in Dublin, the British-irish production consists of six episodes that will fly under PBS’S “Masterpiece Mystery!” banner until the end of February.

While there are sure to be comparisons to yet another famous Victorian-era detective, don’t worry, this isn’t just another 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 Eliza is that she gives this appearance of being a very refined Victorian lady and, to some extent, she is that,” Phillips said in an interview with the U.K.’S Alibi 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 directly 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 Scotland 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.

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