TV series
Wycliffe is a British television series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe. It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a production office in Truro. Music for the series was composed by Nigel Hess and was awarded the Royal Television Society award for the best television theme. Wycliffe is played by Jack Shepherd, assisted by DI Doug Kersey and DI Lucy Lane. Each episode deals with a murder investigation. In the early series, the stories are adapted from Burley's books and are in classic whodunit style, often with quirky characters and plot elements. In later seasons, the tone becomes more naturalistic and there is more emphasis on internal politics within the police.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Wycliffe is available to stream on Britbox, Britbox (Via Amazon Prime), Peacock, Peacock Premium, Prime Video, Shout! Factory TV (Via Amazon Prime), Amazon Freevee, Fawesome, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel in United States. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
Wycliffe is a British television series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe. It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a production office in Truro. Music for the series was composed by Nigel Hess and was awarded the Royal Television Society award for the best television theme. Wycliffe is played by Jack Shepherd, assisted by DI Doug Kersey and DI Lucy Lane. Each episode deals with a murder investigation. In the early series, the stories are adapted from Burley's books and are in classic whodunit style, often with quirky characters and plot elements. In later seasons, the tone becomes more naturalistic and there is more emphasis on internal politics within the police.
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Episode 1
A hunt for John Bonetti, an escaped prisoner from HMP Bodmin, takes a dramatic twist after the discovery of a body. Wycliffe and his team race against time to recapture him.
Directed by Martyn FriendWritten by Steve TraffordGuest stars Cathryn Harrison, John Abineri, John Bleasdale, David Brocklehurst, George Higgins, Robin Browne, Sean Chapman, Andrew Hilton
Episode 2
Alex Keir is distraught when his wife Alison goes missing, but Wycliffe is sceptical of his grief, until a ransome note is found. The case of apparent kidnapping then takes a dramatic turn when Mrs Keir is found dead and smelling of alcohol at the wheel of a crashed car.
Directed by Patrick LauWritten by Steve TraffordGuest stars John McArdle, Margo Gunn, Judy Brooke, Adam Kotz, Brenda Cavendish, Brian Gwaspari, Miriam Leake, Austin O'Connell
Episode 3
Wycliffe and his team investigate the death of a man found blasted by a shotgun at a Cornish holiday home. They discover evidence of ill-feeling between the dead man and his brother-in-law.
Directed by Martyn FriendWritten by Jonathan RichGuest stars David Haig, David Ross, David Neal, Michael Fenton Stevens, Judi Maynard, Doyne Byrd, Harriet Ashcroft, Tom Eastwood
Episode 4
When a man's virtually unidentifiable body is washed ashore, Wycliffe is baffled when two separate women claim it is that of their missing husbands.
Directed by Patrick LauWritten by Isabelle GreyGuest stars Eleanor Bron, Martin Hancock, Bruce Barnden, Marian McLoughlin, Richard Dempsey, Ralph Riach, Joseph Francis, Tom Berks
Episode 5
When a farmer goes missing, leaving his sheep and house unattended, the local police call in Wycliffe. Discoveries of arson and bloodstains lead the team into a farming community struggling to survive.
Directed by Steve GoldieWritten by Julian JonesGuest stars Rosalind Knight, Charles De'Ath, Lennox Greaves, Christopher Driscoll, René Zagger, Isabelle Weil, Julia Chambers, Ian Redford
Episode 6
Through her family and friends, Wycliffe tries to discover if it was suicide or murder when a schoolgirl is found dead in a science laboratory after a school disco.
Guest stars Dominic Guard, Jo Stafford, David Schofield, Carole Gill, Zoe Hembrough, Mark Aldridge, Martyn Whitby, Albie Woodington
Episode 7
When an attempt is made to steal a headless skeleton from an archaelogical dig, Wycliffe discovers an estate steeped in archaic values. The identification of the skeleton unsettles the land-owning Rawle family, whose days of sovereignty in the community are fading.
Directed by Michael Owen MorrisWritten by Patrick HarkinsGuest stars Rosalie Crutchley, David Ellison, Louise Jameson, Desmond McNamara, Richard Hicks, Dido Miles, Jo Anderson, Sally Edwards
Episode 8
Surfer Anne Carter is found in a deep coma when she is washed ashore. The assumption that she is a victim of afreak accident have to be revised when Wycliffe and his team investigate, and uncover a host of sinister facts and conspiracies. Their task is hindered by an obvious leak to the press, which puts DI Lane in a precarious position.
Directed by Michael Owen MorrisWritten by Steve TraffordGuest stars Leslie Schofield, Andreya Wharry, Jo-Anne Stockham, Naomi Wirthner, Rebecca Raybone, Matthew Scurfield, Dominic Wallis, Arthur Whybrow
Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026
Jack ShepherdDetective Superintendent Wycliffe
Jimmy YuillDI Doug Kersey
Helen MastersDI Lucy Lane
Aaron HarrisDS Dixon
Lynn FarleighHelen Wycliffe
Mike GradyMichael Morva
ITV1United Kingdom
HTVUnited Kingdom
