Will there be another series of Strike? - RadioTimes

elehrouh.blogspot.com

Will Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger return for another adaptation of JK Rowling's Strike novels? And what happened at the end of Strike: Lethal White?

❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more)

This competition is now closed

Sunday, 13th September 2020 at 10:00 pm

BBC One’s Strike: Lethal White saw the return of Cormoran Strike, an ex-army private detective, and his work partner, Robin Ellacott.

The latest series was adapted from the fourth instalment of the Strike novel series, written by JK Rowling under the pen-name Robert Galbraith, and sees Strike (Tom Burke) and Robin (Holliday Grainger) investigate a decades-old story of a young girl strangled and buried in a pink blanket close to the Westbury White Horse landmark. You can read our Lethal White review here.

With a fifth book on the way, will viewers see Strike return on-screen – and if so, what will become of his will-they-won’t-they romance with Robin?

Here’s everything you need to know about Strike season five.

When is Strike returning to BBC One?

Each of the Strike novels – The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, Career of Evil, and Lethal White – has been adapted into a mini-series with Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger as the returning leads.

Each of the four BBC seasons, including Strike: Lethal White, has been based on one of the books – meaning that viewers have to wait for the publication of the fifth Strike novel, Troubled Blood. However, we won’t have long to wait – at the time of writing, the novel is due to hit bookshelves on 15th September 2020.

The BBC hasn’t yet confirmed whether or not the fifth book will be getting the small screen treatment, but given the previous seasons’ popularity, it seems likely.

That would mean that – provided the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t impact filming – we could expect to see Strike: Troubled Blood on the BBC as early as this time next year.

You can pre-order Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith on Amazon here.

How did Lethal White end?

*Warning: spoilers ahead for Strike: Lethal White*

Strike: Lethal White, Rafe Chiswell (Adam Long)

BBC Pictures

Turns out that the only person more untrustworthy than the conceited government minister with a secret (Jasper Chiswell, played by a sneering Robert Glenister) is his charming but ultimately murderous son.

Rafe Chiswell, whom we already knew had a habit of running down pregnant mothers, turned out to be – shock, horror – even worse than his much-loathed father. He had spotted an unidentified Stubbs painting – of a mare standing over a foal with the titular ‘lethal white’ syndrome – hanging on the walls of his ancestral home, and began working towards stealing it away.

There was no love lost between Rafe and his family, the Chiswells. Rafe had been mercilessly bullied and tortured by his elder brother Freddie – and troubled young man Billy, who had first come to Strike with a decades-old story of a girl being strangled, had actually witnessed Freddie strangling a long-haired Rafe, before Freddie shot and buried his younger brother’s beloved pony.

Strike: Lethal White

BBC

Rafe had organised his father’s blackmail and later his murder, but he had not factored in Strike and Robin’s detective work.

Using his knowledge of Robin’s impending divorce, he pretended to be her ex, Matthew, and lured her into a trap where he held her hostage at gunpoint inside a houseboat.

Luckily, Robin was able to keep him talking until Strike and the police found her and arrested Rafe at the end of the season finale.

Of course, the other main question, other than whodunnit, is: did Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott get together at the end of Lethal White?

Well… no, not yet. But the spark is there – and given that Robin is finally divorcing her odious husband, we’ll hopefully get our answer next season.

Catch up with Lethal White on BBC iPlayer. You can check out what else is on with our TV Guide.