{{Short description|British television detective drama series}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox television | image = | genre = {{Plainlist| *[[Crime drama]] *[[Mystery fiction|Mystery]] }} | creator = [[Peter Fincham]] | director = <!-- this is for sole director for entire series, otherwise in ep list --> | starring = {{plainlist| *[[Adrian Scarborough]] *[[Sonita Henry]] *[[Vanessa Emme]] *[[Peter Bankolé]] *Lucy Phelps }} | composer = [[Ian Arber]] | country = United Kingdom | language = English | num_series = 3 | num_episodes = 12 | list_episodes = | executive_producer = {{plainlist| * Peter Fincham * Catherine Mackin * Bea Tammer * Wolfgang Feindt * Caroline Stone }} | producer = {{plainlist| * Ella Kelly * Glen Laker * Lauriel Martin * Charlotte Rutherford }} | editor = {{plainlist| *David Head *David Barrett *Xavier Russell *Rob Platt *David L'Anson }} | cinematography = {{plainlist| *Rob Kiztman *Pete Rowe *Annemarie Lean-Vercoe *Tom Hines }} | runtime = 88 minutes | company = Expectation Television | network = [[Acorn TV]] | first_aired = {{start date|2022|2|7|df=y}} | last_aired = present }}
'''''The Chelsea Detective''''' is a British [[crime drama]] television series, created by [[Peter Fincham]] and broadcast on [[Acorn TV]] since its premiere on 23 February 2022. The series focuses on various murder cases which take place in [[Chelsea, London]] and the efforts of Detective Inspector Max Arnold and his partner to solve the crimes. The third series was broadcast in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecinemaholic.com/chelsea-detective-renewed/|title=The Chelsea Detective Renewed For Season 3 at Acorn TV}}</ref> The fourth series started production in mid-2025 and will be broadcast in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Chelsea Detective: Filming Has Started for Season 4 of Fan-Favorite Mystery Series – The British TV Place |url=https://thebritishtvplace.com/2025/08/the-chelsea-detective-filming-has-started-for-season-4-of-fan-favorite-mystery-series/ |access-date=6 August 2025 |website=www.soapcentral.com/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Will The Chelsea Detective Season 4 happen? Acorn TV shares a major update about the crime drama |url=https://www.soapcentral.com/shows/will-the-chelsea-detective-season-4-happen-acorn-tv-shares-major-update-crime-drama |access-date=18 August 2025 |website=thebritishtvplace.com}}</ref>
==Premise== London's Chelsea neighbourhood is a beautiful borough for beautiful people, but it has a dark underside of deception, violence, greed and murder. Bodies have a way of showing up, and things are rarely what they seem. The story follows Detective Inspector Max Arnold and his partner as they investigate these murders.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Chelsea Detective {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_chelsea_detective |access-date=13 February 2026 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Cast ==
* [[Adrian Scarborough]] as DI Max Arnold * [[Sonita Henry]] as DS Priya Shamsie (Series 1) * [[Vanessa Emme]] as DS Layla Walsh (Series 2-present) * [[Peter Bankolé]] as DC Connor Pollock * Lucy Phelps as DC Jess Lombard * [[Sophie Leigh Stone]] as Ashley Wilton, Chief Forensics Officer * [[Anamaria Marinca]] as Astrid Fischer, Max's Ex-Wife * [[Frances Barber]] as Olivia Arnold, Max's Aunt
==Series overview== {{Series overview | color1 = #A52A2A | link1 = #Series 1 (2022) | episodes1 = 4 | start1 = {{Start date|2022|02|07|df=y}} | end1 = {{End date|2022|02|28|df=y}}
| color2 = #191970 | link2 = #Series 2 (2023) | episodes2 = 4 | start2 = {{Start date|2023|08|28|df=y}} | end2 = {{End date|2023|09|18|df=y}}
| color3 = #A61270 | link3 = #Series 3 (2024-2025) | episodes3 = 4 | start3 = {{Start date|2024|12|16|df=y}} | end3 = {{End date|2025|04|21|df=y}} }}
==Episodes== ===Series 1 (2022)=== {{Episode table |background=#A52A2A |overall=5 |series=5 |title=19 |director=14 |writer=17 |airdate=14 |episodes={{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 1 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = The Wages of Sin |WrittenBy = Glen Laker |DirectedBy = Richard Signy |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|02|7|df=y}} |ShortSummary = Stonemason Andrew Knightley is pushed under a London Underground train during the morning rush hour. DI Max Arnold and his partner, DS Priya Shamsie, build a picture of a lonely, devout, and troubled man who believed a spirit was leaving him vengeful Biblical messages. But the killer is flesh and blood, and a more earthly explanation may be found in the truth of Knightley's life. |LineColor = A52A2A }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 2 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = Mrs Romano |WrittenBy = Glen Laker |DirectedBy = Richard Signy |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|02|14|df=y}} |ShortSummary = This case follows the disappearance of a social media sensation who is married to the owner of an upmarket Chelsea eatery. Soon the investigation turns into a murder investigation and Max finds himself embroiled in explosive family politics. |LineColor = A52A2A }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 3 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = The Gentle Giant |WrittenBy = [[Peter Fincham]] |DirectedBy = Darcia Martin |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|02|21|df=y}} |ShortSummary = A popular security guard is stabbed to death on a patch of waste ground. He leaves behind his terminally ill wife and at first, it appears he died as a result of a drug deal gone wrong. However, as Max and Priya soon realize, nothing is as it seems. |LineColor = A52A2A }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 4 |EpisodeNumber2 = 4 |Title = A Chelsea Education |WrittenBy = Liz Lake |DirectedBy = Darcia Martin |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|02|28|df=y}} |ShortSummary = A teacher in a prestigious international school is murdered at home shortly before he's due to move to Japan. Although the teacher is said to have been well-liked, it seems there’s no shortage of suspects in his murder. |LineColor = A52A2A }} }}
===Series 2 (2023)=== {{Episode table |background=#191970 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=19 |director=14 |writer=17 |airdate=14 |episodes={{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 5 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = The Blue Room |WrittenBy = Glen Laker |DirectedBy = Richard Signy |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|08|28|df=y}} |ShortSummary = When an art gallery manager is strangled during the robbery of an exhibition, it appears he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But as the team delve into the elite world of Chelsea's art scene, Max soon wonders if the victim was an accomplice. |LineColor = 191970 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 6 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = Golden Years |WrittenBy = [[Peter Fincham]] |DirectedBy = Richard Signy |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|09|4|df=y}} |ShortSummary = A woman at a luxury retirement home dies mysteriously, and with no signs of forced entry, suspicion falls on the staff and residents. But tensions within her family point to another cause, harking back to their time in Apartheid-era South Africa. |LineColor = 191970 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 7 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = The Reliable Witness |WrittenBy = Liz Lake |DirectedBy = Sarah Esdaile |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|09|11|df=y}} |ShortSummary = The most likely culprit in the murder of a psychotherapist is an ex-patient with a history of erratic behaviour. As the team dig into the therapist's personal life, they uncover disturbing revelations that cast a new light on his killing. |LineColor = 191970 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 8 |EpisodeNumber2 = 4 |Title = A Crime of Passion |WrittenBy = Laura Poliakoff |DirectedBy = Sarah Esdaile |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2023|09|18|df=y}} |ShortSummary = Jack Felton, the charming owner of a fruit and vegetable delivery company, is found stabbed at home in what looks like a frenzied attack. The detectives must unravel romantic jealousies, family conflicts, and business rivalries to nab the killer. |LineColor = 191970 }} }}
===Series 3 (2024/25)=== {{Episode table |background=#A61270 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=19 |director=14 |writer=17 |airdate=14 |episodes={{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 9 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = Everybody Loves Chloe |WrittenBy = Peter Fincham |DirectedBy = Jennie Darnell |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2024|12|16|df=y}} |ShortSummary = During the Christmas season, the detectives must investigate the mysterious death of Chloe Carmichael, a singer found drowned in her home, amidst leads uncovering drug dealings and affairs in high places. |LineColor = A61270 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 10 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = Deadlock |WrittenBy = Glen Laker |DirectedBy = Jennie Darnell |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|04|07|df=y}} |ShortSummary = When a dead body is unearthed, Max and Layla race to identify the victim. Their investigation takes them from a city estate to the US embassy, where powerful forces stand in their way. They must use every trick up their sleeves to catch the killer. |LineColor = A61270 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 11 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = Myths and Legends |WrittenBy = Debbie Oates & Ian Kershaw |DirectedBy = Richard Signy |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|04|14|df=y}} |ShortSummary = When antiques dealer Niall Hammond is found dead in his shop, Max and Layla are drawn into a puzzling investigation that leads them from a renowned music society to mudlarks combing the Thames' foreshore. The discovery of a rare gold coin worth £1 million points to greed as a possible motive—but as they dig deeper into Niall's personal life, it becomes clear that family tensions and buried secrets may have played a role. To solve the case, Max and Layla must untangle a web of deceit and determine what's genuine—and what's not. |LineColor = A61270 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 12 |EpisodeNumber2 = 4 |Title = For the Greater Good |WrittenBy = Nicola Wilson & Glen Laker |DirectedBy = Richard Signy |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|04|21|df=y}} |ShortSummary = A climate scientist is found dead in a stolen car's boot. As detectives Max and Layla investigate, they uncover possible links to his upcoming conference speech and a complex web of deception. |LineColor = A61270 }} }}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|14321914}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelsea Detective, The}} [[Category:Acorn TV original programming]] [[Category:2022 British television series debuts]] [[Category:English-language British television shows]] [[Category:Television shows about murder]] [[Category:Television shows set in London]] [[Category:2020s British police procedural television series]] [[Category:2020s British workplace drama television series]] [[Category:British detective television series]]