Season 5 of Miss Scarlet is bringing big changes, and newcomer Tom Durant-Pritchard is just like Us—rooting for Eliza Scarlet to find her happily ever after.
“We all need love, do you know what I mean?” Durant-Pritchard, 37, exclusively told while carefully avoiding confirming whether his character, the new Scotland Yard Inspector Alexander Blake, will become a romantic interest for private investigator Eliza (Kate Phillips).
The actor steps into the show as a replacement for Stuart Martin’s Inspector William Wellington, also known as The Duke, in the upcoming season of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery series, premiering on Sunday, January 12. (The season was made available early for streaming on December 8, 2024, via the PBS App and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.)
Unlike William, who had been in love with Eliza for years before leaving for a job in New York City at the end of season 4, Blake holds a clear disdain for private investigators. However, according to Durant-Pritchard, that stance may not last long.
“Blake doesn’t want any PIs working with Scotland Yard, but there’s that classic thing with Miss Scarlet—you can’t deny that she’s very good at her job,” Durant-Pritchard told.
“And Blake is a sensible man and comes to appreciate the fact that as much as he doesn’t want Ms. Scarlet to get involved in any of the cases, she’s kind of too good to ignore.” He teased, “So begrudgingly, he has to allow her to take part.”
The pair clash immediately, crossing paths during the premiere over a complicated case involving stolen goods. However, Durant-Pritchard hinted that their shared experiences might help forge a bond.
“He’s gone through his own heartbreak that is different to Miss Scarlet,” the actor shared. “But they find each other at a time when they’re in each other’s company. They need each other in a way.”
Durant-Pritchard explained that while there’s a clear “reluctance” between Blake and Eliza to get along when he first arrives, their dynamic evolves as the season progresses.
“You see a sort of friendship building. There is something between them as much as they both don’t want it to happen,” he teased. “There’s a relationship building.”
Though Eliza seeks a fresh start after William’s departure—viewers will see how they officially part ways in the season 5 premiere—Durant-Pritchard emphasized that moving on from heartbreak “is never that simple.”
He revealed that Eliza’s emotions from season 4 will carry over and influence her actions in season 5. Regarding how she connects with Blake and manages to involve herself in more cases, Durant-Pritchard explained that it boils down to proving her worth.
“There are some great cases that are quite big that require quite a lot of mental strength,” he said. “And the bond that Blake and Ms. Scarlet have to form to solve those cases kind of allows the past to stay in the past. They have to start building their own relationship and future between them.”
When asked if Blake and Eliza’s relationship could turn romantic, Durant-Pritchard kept his cards close but didn’t entirely rule it out.
“You can expect two single people in a state of heartbreak, going about their business to the best of their ability,” he told Us. “And as much as they don’t want to spend time with one another, as the season progresses, they end up having to spend more and more time together and get to know each other better and better as time goes on.”
While Blake and Eliza’s relationship starts off rocky, Durant-Pritchard noted that he had no trouble connecting with Kate Phillips, the show’s leading lady.
“Kate is a fantastic actor, and she’s a great person. It’s very easy to just hang out and have that,” he said of Phillips, 35. “I’ve come from a background of doing my fair share of comedies, and we share a love of comedy [and] rom-coms, all the work of Hugh Grant over the years.”
Durant-Pritchard revealed that he and Phillips bonded over their mutual love of films, spending significant time learning each other’s quirks. (His favorite rom-coms include Four Weddings and a Funeral and “all the Bridget Jones’s.”)
“We spoke, I think, every day from about 8 in the morning till 7 at night, and we spent every second together,” he recalled. “We just got on so well that it was just very easy on set.”
As fans anticipate the new dynamics in Miss Scarlet season 5, Durant-Pritchard shared his hopes for a potential season 6—assuming Blake remains part of the story.
“I would like to see how his relationship with Ms. Scarlet progresses through time,” he said, hinting that he, too, supports the idea of Eliza finding love. “To see if they can maintain a kind of working relationship and then anything else that happens is a boon, I guess.”
Season 5 of Miss Scarlet premieres on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS, Sunday, January 12, at 8 p.m. ET.