With his new show “Bookish,” Mark Gatiss hasn’t tired of coming up with ways to kill people. “Sherlock Holmes himself said, ‘There’s nothing new under the sun,’” says the Emmy-winning co-creator/star of “Sherlock,” adding, “It’s a constant challenge because you’re trying to think how you can surprise people and what hasn’t already been done.”
A murder mystery aficionado (he’s currently fighting the temptation to purchase the prop newspaper used in the 1974 film “Murder on the Orient Express”), Gatiss is both impressed and indebted to the work of Agatha Christie. “She came up with every kind of possibility for who could have done it, and she got there first, damn her,” he notes. “That’s what you’re always looking for — new ways to surprise people.” He also knows that “audiences are students of the genre,” which makes it even more challenging. It’s why while making “Sherlock,” someone said that the killer is “always the first person you see twice.” Going back and researching, Gatiss learned this was accurate. “So, for the second season, I deliberately changed the scripts to make sure this wasn’t true.”
So rather than fight the expected, Gatiss looks for new variations on the beloved genre. The characters are key in finding new variations on the beloved genre. In the case of “Bookish,” premiering July 16 on U&Alibi and at a later date on PBS in the U.S., he set the series in 1946 London, a pivotal post-WWII time for the country. Gatiss plays Gabriel Book, a gay man in a lavender marriage to his longtime friend Trottie (a delightful Polly Walker) at a time when homosexuality was illegal. Book runs a family bookstore but also happens to possess a brilliant mind that helps the police solve crimes. “Featuring a protagonist who is gay in a period setting lets you shine a light on a different aspect of society and the time,” he says of the series. “It’s period, but it’s also very underexamined. It’s a time when so much is bubbling under the surface. Women were liberated to work and contribute during the war and then were basically told to get back behind the stove. People are starting to wonder: why should they go back to the old ways?”
In his work, Gatiss has always managed to be both timeless and ahead of his time. It’s one of the reasons “Sherlock” worked so well in updating the Victorian character into a modern setting. He’s equally at home in the fantasy world of “Game of Thrones” and the sci-fi universe of “Doctor Who” and excels in period pieces (he earned a trio of Olivier Award nominations for Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” Patrick Marber’s adaptation of Turgenev’s “A Month in the Country” and playing Sir John Gielgud in “The Motive and the Cue,” winning for the latter two.)
So while “Bookish” may be set in a bygone era, it’s by no means quaint. He’s not a fan of the term “cozy crime,” though reports of him disliking that term have also been overblown. “I get it, because I love invoking that nostalgia, but I think that term also implies a certain ease,” he says. “And doesn’t have to be just wallpaper; it can have teeth. A lot of the crime is rooted in despair and sadness.” Again, he invokes Christie who, above all, was a populist. “But she’s actually very spiky and there is some searing social commentary, much more than people give her credit for.”
Although he knows murder mysteries are enjoying a surge in popularity, he’s also cautious of glossing over the seriousness — he uses the term “The Romance of Crime,” which not coincidentally is also the title of a “Doctor Who” novel. And while he appreciates the appeal of “a bottle of poison and a stiff collar,” he’s also aware of the tragedy. When researching a script about the brutal murderer Neville Heath — also from 1946 London — he was able to visit Scotland Yard’s Crime Museum, a.k.a. the Black Museum, so named because it housed the darkest cases. The curator asked him up front if he had a strong stomach, before laying out a series of crime photos. “Suddenly, there was no romance in crime,” Gatiss recalls. “It was just bleak, even after 75 years. And I was very aware of the duality of how we’re in it for the fun and parlor games but there is real pain and suffering.” While the experience “hasn’t cured me” of his love for the genre, he knew with “Bookish” he also wanted to look at the repercussions of these crimes.
But it would be a disservice to imply that “Bookish” is in any way dour. After all, Gatiss came to fame writing and performing with “The League of Gentlemen,” the (admittedly dark) comedy troupe that was equal parts Monty Python and Hammer Horror. And “Bookish” is not without its laugh-out-loud moments. “This time period is generally regarded as rather glum because the world has been turned upside down. But it’s also full of optimism,” he says. “And I’m a believer that people who come through trauma can actually go the other way. I believe Book has a lighthearted attitude because he has seen some very bad things.”
So while he doesn’t shy away from the character’s melancholy, he celebrates his joy. This spared Gatiss from having to indulge in any “actor wank” and just enjoying the job. “I understand if you’re playing a serial killer or doing the research of Daniel Day-Lewis, you are going to carry that with you,” he says. “At the end of the day, it’s dress up and fun.”
“Bookish” is also packed with a charming cast, including Connor Finch as Jack, a recent parolee Book hires to work in the shop without revealing they have a personal connection. Not to mention an adorable, scene-stealing dog. Gatiss shares a dynamic chemistry with Walker, who gets to show a more fun side of herself compared to some previous roles. “She’s known for being a bit of a ne’er-do-well in shows like ‘Bridgerton’ and she’s wonderful at it,” says Gatiss. “But she was quite touched we thought of her for a sunny part.”
“Bookish” has already been committed for a second season, a big vote of confidence prior to the show’s July 16 premiere. It’s set to be a busy month, as the actor balances his small screen work with a pair of giant franchise films as he continues the tradition of Hollywood utilizing great British actors for their authority and charisma to set a blockbuster in motion. In addition to the already released “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” Gatiss appears in “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” hitting theaters July 25. He can’t say too much about his role as a 1960s talk show host, not just because he fears Marvel, but because he honestly doesn’t know. “I did like two days of it. I’m just in the trailer a lot because I sort of do the exposition,” he says. “I’m so glad I can stand on the red carpet and not worry about giving anything away.”
“Fantastic Four” director Matt Shakman previously worked with Gatiss “one glorious day” on “Game of Thrones” and was a longtime fan. “When I needed to find the Ed Sullivan for my retro future 60s ‘Fantastic Four’ world, I knew just who to call,” Shakman enthuses. “It was a pleasure to see Mark again, and he’s terrific in the film. Besides being a lovely person, he’s utterly brilliant as a creator and performer. I’m in awe of his talent and already hoping for another project we can do together.”
Which is not to say he took the role lightly — Gatiss studied a lot of archival television from the time period to get the feel and cadence for the character in the “Jetsons”-like universe. He has always loved costumes and wigs to find characters — think back to the ridiculously tight red shorts he wore on “League” portraying monotone cave guide Mick McNamara (actually a suggestion from Edgar Wright.) And it extends to the suit of a retro/future show host to finding the perfect gray raincoat and toupee for Gabriel Book. “It really is about dressing up, isn’t it?” he notes. “I love the disguise part of it and how it makes you feel like someone else. I have a collection of toupees and teeth that really help me find my way in — in addition to being handy at Halloween.”
“Bookish” premiering July 16 on U&Alibi and will premiere at a later date in the States on PBS.
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