Adrian Scarborough plays DI Max Arnold, a man who chooses to live on a listing houseboat at the unfashionable end of Cheyne Walk after his marriage to art dealer Astrid implodes. Each feature-length case unspools within the SW3 postcode, where Georgian mansions, boutique gyms and £5 million basements conceal corpses rather than cocktail shakers. Arnold’s team has shifted across the three seasons: Sonita Henry’s DS Priya Shamsie led the junior officers in series one, before Vanessa Emme’s sharper DS Layla Walsh took the supervisory chair from series two onward. The regulars include Peter Bankolé’s quietly shrewd DC Connor Pollock and Lucy Phelps’ tech-minded DC Jess Lombard, while Sophie Stone’s Ashley Wilton heads forensics.
Creator Peter Fincham, former BBC One controller, keeps the tone closer to Midsomer Murders than Line of Duty: picturesque exteriors, a restrained body count, and clues that surface during polite conversations in river-front cafés. Directors make repeated use of the neighbourhood’s landmarks; the green ironwork of Albert Bridge appears almost as often as the police tape, and Brompton Cemetery doubled as a murder site in series two. Episodes run 88 minutes, giving guest stars such as Frances Barber, as Arnold’s opera-loving aunt Olivia, room to sketch in motives without crowding the central puzzle.
Twelve episodes have aired since Acorn TV launched the show in February 2022, with a third batch broadcast in 2025. Production on a fourth set of investigations began in mid-2025 for transmission the following year, ensuring Arnold’s houseboat will stay moored for at least another run.
Production Details
Acorn TV / 3 Seasons / 12 Episodes / 2022 - Present
Created by: Peter Fincham
Writer(s): Glen Laker, Liz Lake, Peter Fincham
Producer(s): Ella Kelly Glen Laker Lauriel Martin Charlotte Rutherford
Cinematography: Rob Kitzmann, Tom Hines
Music: Ian Arber
Main Cast
Adrian Scarborough as DI Max Arnold
Anamaria Marinca as Astrid Fischer
Peter Bankolé as DC Connor Pollock
Lucy Phelps as DC Jess Lombard
Sophie Stone as Ashley Wilton
Vanessa Emme as DS Layla Walsh
Frances Barber as Olivia Arnold
Sonita Henry as DS Priya Shamsie
Davood Ghadami as Nitin Shamsie
Aiylah Bhimani as Poppy Shamsie
Cecilia Appiah as PC Lana Appleby
Kobe Golde as Poppy Shamsie
