If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through Acorn TV or Channel 5 on a rainy Tuesday, chances are you’ve stumbled upon the candy-colored, slightly macabre world of Wildemarsh. It’s a place where the grass is impossibly green, the fashion is impeccable, and the murder rate is—frankly—concerning. But what really keeps people coming back isn't just the "cozy crime" aesthetic. It's the chemistry. Specifically, the cast of Queens of Mystery manages to pull off that rare feat of feeling like a real, albeit eccentric, family.
It's a weird show. I mean that in the best way possible. It’s got this Pushing Daisies meets Agatha Christie vibe that shouldn’t work, yet it does because the actors play it straight. They don't wink at the camera. They inhabit these women who are obsessed with death but also deeply concerned about what’s for tea.
The heart of the show is Matilda Stone. She’s the young detective who returns to her hometown, only to find her three crime-writing aunts constantly meddling in her police business. It’s a nightmare for her career, but great for us.
The Shifting Face of Matilda Stone
Let’s address the elephant in the room first. If you started season two and felt a sudden sense of "wait, who is that?", you aren't alone. Matilda Stone underwent a regeneration that would make Doctor Who proud.
In the first season, Olivia Vinall played Matilda. She brought this wide-eyed, slightly overwhelmed energy to the role. You really felt her frustration as her aunts basically trampled over every crime scene she tried to tape off. Vinall was fantastic, but when season two rolled around, she wasn't able to return due to scheduling conflicts.
Enter Florence Hall.
Hall didn't just copy what Vinall did. She made Matilda a bit more assertive, maybe a little more settled into her role as the lead investigator in a town full of lunatics. Honestly, the transition was smoother than most people expected. By the second episode of the "Sparring with Death" arc, most fans had stopped thinking about the swap and started focusing on the mystery of Matilda’s missing mother again. That’s the real glue of the show—the overarching mystery of what happened to Eleanor Stone. It’s the dark thread running through the bright tapestry.
Why the change worked
Hall’s chemistry with the aunts felt immediate. If that hadn't clicked, the show would have folded. But she managed to nail that specific look of "I love you, but please stop touching the evidence" that is central to the character.
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The Three Aunts: A Masterclass in Character Acting
The real power move of the cast of Queens of Mystery is the casting of the three Stone aunts: Beth, Cat, and Jane. They are the "Queens" the title refers to, as they all write different sub-genres of mystery novels.
Julie Graham as Cat Stone
Cat is the rebel. The rock-and-roll aunt. Graham plays her with this sharp, cynical edge that balances out the whimsy of the rest of the show. She writes "edgy" graphic novels and drives an old sports car. You’ve probably seen Julie Graham in a million things—from Shetland to Benidorm—and she brings that seasoned British TV grit here. She’s the one most likely to suggest breaking and entering to get a clue. She’s also the one who usually has a flask hidden somewhere.
Siobhan Redmond as Jane Stone
Jane is the eldest. She’s precise. She’s formal. She writes clinical, cold police procedurals. Redmond plays her with a backbone of steel. There’s a lot of trauma hidden under Jane’s sensible cardigans, especially regarding her sister’s disappearance. Redmond is a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and you can hear it in her diction. She treats a murder investigation like a crossword puzzle that must be solved before the sherry is poured.
Sarah Woodward as Beth Stone
Then there’s Beth. She writes "cozy" mysteries—the kind with cats on the cover and puns in the titles. Woodward plays her with a fluttery, nervous energy that hides a very sharp mind. She’s the emotional heart of the trio. While Cat wants to kick down doors and Jane wants to analyze fingerprints, Beth is usually the one who notices the victim's shoes didn't match their outfit—and that’s usually the key to the whole thing.
The Supporting Players You Might Recognize
The world of Wildemarsh isn't just the Stone women. There’s a whole ecosystem of recurring characters that fill out the cast of Queens of Mystery and make the town feel lived-in.
Martin Trenaman as Inspector Derek Dial: Poor Derek. He’s Matilda’s boss and is perpetually tired. He’s the classic "straight man" in a comedy. You might recognize Trenaman as the dad from The Inbetweeners. Here, he’s much more competent but equally exasperated. He knows the Stone aunts are going to interfere, and he’s basically given up trying to stop them.
Andrew Leung as Dr. Daniel Lynch: He’s the local pathologist and Matilda’s potential love interest. Their "will-they-won't-they" dynamic is a bit of a slow burn, mostly because they usually meet over a dead body. It’s hard to be romantic when you’re discussing blunt-force trauma. Leung plays him with a charming, slightly geeky sincerity.
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Michael Elcock as PC Terry Toke: He’s the young, eager police constable. He’s basically the puppy of the precinct.
The Narrator (The Secret Ingredient)
You can’t talk about this cast without mentioning the voice you hear but never see. Juliet Stevenson provides the narration. It’s very Pushing Daisies or A Series of Unfortunate Events. Her voice is theatrical, slightly ironic, and perfectly sets the tone. She tells us things the characters don't know, adding a layer of "storybook" reality to the proceedings. It turns the show from a standard procedural into a modern-day fable.
Why This Specific Cast Matters for "Cozy" TV
There is a lot of "cozy" content out there right now. Between The Marlow Murder Club and Beyond Paradise, the market is saturated. So why does this group work?
Nuance.
It’s easy to play "eccentric" as just "loud and annoying." This cast doesn't do that. They play the stakes as if they are real. When a murder happens, even if the weapon is something ridiculous like a giant piece of modern art or a poisoned artisanal jam, the actors treat the loss of life with a certain weight. This makes the humor land better. If the characters don't care, why should we?
The Stone aunts are also a great representation of women of a certain age having absolute agency. They aren't sidekicks. They aren't just "grandma" types. They are professional writers with complicated pasts and active lives. That’s a testament to the writing, but it requires actors like Graham, Redmond, and Woodward to pull it off without it feeling like a caricature.
The Mystery of the Missing Mother
The show’s biggest draw isn't the "murder of the week." It's the overarching story of Eleanor Stone. Each of the aunts knows something they aren't telling Matilda. You can see it in their faces whenever the subject comes up.
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In season two, this plotline starts to accelerate. The casting of the younger versions of the aunts in flashback sequences is also remarkably well done. They managed to find actors who mimic the physical tics of the lead trio, which helps bridge the gap between the 1990s mystery and the present day.
People often ask if the show is coming back for season three. While official renewals can be slow in the world of streaming, the creators have made it clear there is more story to tell. The cast has expressed interest in returning, especially since the season two finale left us with some pretty massive questions regarding Matilda's father and the true nature of her mother's disappearance.
Real World Takeaways for Fans
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of the cast of Queens of Mystery, here is what you should actually do.
First, don't just watch it for the mystery. Watch it for the production design. The show uses a very specific color palette for each aunt. Beth is usually in yellows and soft florals. Cat is in dark leathers and saturated purples. Jane is in structured blues and greys. It’s a visual shorthand that tells you who is in charge of a scene before they even speak.
Second, if you’re a fan of the actors, check out their other work to see the range.
- Julie Graham in Shetland is a completely different vibe—much darker and more grounded.
- Sarah Woodward has an extensive theatre background; seeing her in a Shakespearean role vs. the "ditsy" Beth Stone is a trip.
- Florence Hall has appeared in The Princess Switch movies on Netflix, which is about as far from a British murder mystery as you can get, but it shows her comedic timing.
Finally, keep an eye on the background. Wildemarsh is full of "Easter eggs." Many of the book titles seen in the background of the aunts' houses are nods to real classic mystery novels or puns on the cast's real names.
The show isn't just about solving a crime. It's about a family trying to protect one of their own from a truth that might break them. That’s why the chemistry between these four women matters so much. Without that bond, it’s just another show about a dead body in a library. With them, it’s something much more interesting.
If you haven't seen the second season yet, give Florence Hall a chance. She earns her place at the Stone family table. And keep your eyes peeled for any news on season three—because that cliffhanger was frankly cruel.
Actionable Insights for Viewers:
- Watch in Order: Do not skip Season 1. Even with the lead actress change, the character development for the three aunts is foundational for understanding Season 2.
- Look for the Visual Cues: Pay attention to the color-coded costuming. It’s a deliberate choice by the creators to signal which "style" of mystery is currently dominating the episode's logic.
- Follow the Narrator: Juliet Stevenson’s narration often contains clues that the characters themselves miss. If she emphasizes a specific word, it’s usually for a reason.