Doctor Who & Downton Abbey Cross Over With New British Detective Duo Debut
El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.
Major stars from Doctor Who and Downton Abbey are teaming up to become one of the UK's most compelling new detective duos. Some of the best crime dramas feature a dynamic pair of detectives; there's something so fun and intriguing about watching two seemingly mismatched personalities find common ground while developing a genuine partnership. It's even better when the show offers a fresh or unusual angle or setting, giving the duo and the audience something new to discover in an arguably oversaturated genre.
This is exactly what happens in Cooper and Fry, Channel 5's smash-hit detective drama. The show, which premiered in the UK in November 2025, is finally set to debut in North America, with episodes releasing weekly from Thursday, September 10 on BritBox. Downton Abbey favorite Robert James-Collier and former Doctor Who companion Mandip Gill star as the titular duo in this eerie, atmospheric thriller set in the stunning scenery of the Peak District.
Based on Stephen Booth's 18-novel series of the same name, the show cleverly balances its investigative storytelling with character-driven drama. Gill's DC Diane Fry arrives in the fictional Derbyshire town of Edendale from the big city, running from a dangerous relationship. James-Collier's local copper, DC Ben Cooper, meanwhile, is still reeling from his dad's violent death, determined to catch the killer. Despite the tragic nature of the cases and the darker aspects of Fry and Cooper's backstories, the show never feels overly bleak, though it's certainly not a cozy crime drama, either.
Cooper & Fry Join A Long List Of Iconic British Detective Duos
Cooper and Fry are joining a great tradition of iconic British detective duos. Though none are quite as famous as Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and John Watson — their unlikely friendship is arguably the blueprint for all modern detective partnerships — other great examples include Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence (who are due to star in a new adaptation starting on BritBox next week), Broadchurch's DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie Miller, Grantchester's DI Geordie Keating and his three crime-solving vicars, Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis, Sally Wainwright's Scott and Bailey, and more.
What makes Cooper and Fry stand out from other detective dramas, other than the rural setting, is its focus on local folklore. Each of the four cases Cooper and Fry investigate in the first season involves a local legend, with the townsfolk trusting their superstitions to keep them safe. Urban native Diane struggles to understand this side of small-town living; she needs Cooper's expertise, while she offers him a new, more analytical perspective on cases (she's also very good at chasing down suspects). Like all the best detective duos listed above, they make each other better, even if they are reluctant to admit it at first.
James-Collier and Gill have solid chemistry, and they play off each other well. What's great about the show is how they gradually sink into their dynamic, sticking up for each other at the station with their colleagues and divulging more about their personal lives without ever letting go of their good-natured teasing. Whether they'll ever become something more than friends and partners is anyone's guess. For now, they have their own personal traumas to work through, and thankfully, they can do that together.
Cooper & Fry Will Return For More Episodes
Cooper and Fry has been confirmed for a second season in the UK, with production already underway. The first season consists of four separate investigations — split into eight 45-minute episodes for BritBox's release — based on Booth's novels Dying to Sin (2007), Black Dog (2000), Blind to the Bones (2003), and Dancing with the Virgins (2001). The second season will adapt The Devil's Edge (2011), Fall Down Dead (2018), One Last Breath (2004), and The Murder Road (2015).
Gill and James-Collier will both reprise their roles for the new season, alongside returning cast members Lorcan Cranitch (Bloodlands), who portrays the duo's superior officer, DI Paul Hitchens, and Charlotte Bradley (The Dry), who plays Ben's potentially clairvoyant mother, Isobel Cooper. Though a UK release window hasn't been revealed yet, it's expected to premiere sometime in 2027. Hopefully, if the first run of episodes does well on BritBox over the next few weeks, Cooper and Fry's second season will make its way across the pond a lot sooner.
New episodes of Cooper and Fry are released weekly on Thursdays, only on BritBox. The first two episodes are available to stream now.
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