A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder: Release date and full cast list

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the new six-part murder mystery series now available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer.

Based on Holly Jackson’s smash hit novels, it stars Emma Myers as Pip Fitz-Amobi, a teenager focused on an unusual school research project regarding a missing schoolgirl.

Andie Bell, was a 17-year-old whose disappearance in 2019 haunted the town of Little Kilton.

Andie’s boyfriend, Sal Singh, sent a text confessing to the murder before being found dead, having seemingly taken his own life – but Andie’s body was never found.

With her own secret connection to the case, Pip is determined to prove Sal’s innocence.

i’s reviewer called it an “easy, breezy binge-worthy murder mystery”, so if you’re in the market for a new series, keep reading.

When will A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder be released?

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder dropped on BBC iPlayer on Monday 1 July.

All six episodes are now available to watch in full on the streaming platform.

Who is in the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder cast?

A host of familiar and new faces can be seen in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Emma Myers plays Pip Fitz-Amobi

Myers as Pip, who has taken on an unusual school research project regarding a missing schoolgirl (Photo: BBC/Moonage Pictures)

Viewers may recognise Myers from her breakout role as Enid Sinclair, the room-mate of Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix series Wednesday, in which she portrayed a late-blooming werewolf.

The Florida native began acting as a child when she appeared in The Glades. She also stars in the Netflix comedy film Family Switch alongside Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms and Brady Noon.

Speaking about the series, Myers said: “The show starts with this warm, happy tone, just a girl trying to do a school project. But as Pip uncovers clues, stories, it takes a shift.

“The show deals with a lot of themes of racism, sexual assault and drugs and abuse. The way the show handles these topics is important. The way the story is told, is heartbreaking to be honest with you. It’s not the happy little town that people think it is.”

The story’s decision to use a female protagonist also appealed to Myers.

“The show is different from a lot of other crime shows, namely that the detective is a teenage girl and it’s a female driven story,” she continued. “It’s really interesting, and the twists and turns that are in it are so well done and so well fleshed out. Holly [author] really thought about every single thing up until the end, and you can totally tell when you read the book and then the way it has been translated into the scripts. It’s one of a kind.”

Zain Iqbal plays Ravi Singh

Iqbal as Ravi, bother of Sal Singh, who confessed to the missing teenager’s murder (Photo: BBC/Moonage Pictures)

Newcomer Zain Iqbal plays Ravi Singh. With this being his first major role, there is very little information about him publicly available, but he is believed to have had a small role in the 2022 film All Crazy Random.

Speaking about his performance in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Iqbal said it was “a massive relief” to learn he had secured the role.

“I had six or seven auditions, and obviously, the more you’re auditioned and the more they call you back, the more you get invested,” he said. “You want it even more. In the first audition, you just treat it like any other audition, but then when they keep bringing you back, you want it more and more. So it was a massive relief and I’m really grateful.”

On the subject of the series, he described it as “a whole world”.

He said: “It’s dark, but it’s got a lot of humour in it, and different aspects that are not dark. You’ve got Pip’s friendship group, that’s all fun and jokes. You’ve got Pip and Ravi, and they do have fun together, and there’s the romance that comes into it slowly. It’s exciting that there’s more to it than what you first see, and it’s not just a detective show.”

Anna Maxwell Martin plays Leanne

Maxwell Martin as Leanne, Pip’s mother (Photo: BBC/Moonage Pictures)

Maxwell Martin is a recognisable face to many viewers for her performances in Line of Duty (as DCS Patricia Carmichael), Kelly Major in Code 404 and Julia in Motherland, for which she was nominated for the Bafta for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2018.

The Yorkshire-born actress has scooped two Bafta awards for Best Actress: firstly, in 2006 for her performance as Esther Summerson in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House, and again in 2009 for her portrayal as N in the Channel 4 adaptation of Poppy Shakespeare.

Her other TV credits include Death Comes to Pemberley, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, Good Omens, Mandy and A Spy Among Friends.

Her theatre work includes Macbeth at the Young Vic, King Lear at the Royal National Theatre and Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre.

Read Next

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder review: Cosy crime for teens

Television

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is cosy crime for teens

Read More

Speaking about her role in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, she said: “I play Leanne, who is Pip’s mum, and trying to do a good job. She’s trying, sometimes failing. I think she’s pretty nice as a mum, she just cares about and is a bit worried about her. She can see Pip going down a precarious road. She’s pretty sensible, although I can imagine her feeling a bit full on, maybe a little bit pushy. She has high expectations of Pip which I think means she is pushy – she can’t bear to see her waste her life.”

She added: “I hadn’t read the book but my daughter had, so I was aware that lots of people were going crazy for it. When something comes along that your children are going mad for you do tend to have a little look and get involved in it. It’s quite nice that I’m in something they can watch, rather than things that are inappropriate or that makes them cringe massively and hate watching me in it.

“Additionally to that, there are just really great, and creative people on board,” she added. “I’d wanted to be in Dolly’s [Wells, director] orbit for a long time so that was fantastic for me.”

Gary Beadle plays Victor

Beadle as Victor, with co-star Maxwell Martin (Photo: BBC/Moonage Pictures)

South London-born Beadle has had roles in some of the UK’s most beloved TV programmes, including The Young Ones, Absolutely Fabulous, EastEnders, Grantchester, The Bill and Casualty.

His film appearances include Rye Lane, Persuasion, Until Death and Absolute Beginners.

He said: “I play Victor, Pip’s stepdad. Victor is loving, doting, compassionate and empathetic. Emma and Victor are both complete nerds in terms of doing meticulous preparation for any kind of project, task or anything. He absolutely adores his wife. I feel like he’s a very amiable fellow, and that his wife brings out the best in him. But more than anything, he is that calm tempo amongst the chaos.”

He described A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder as “a real roller coaster of a whodunnit, on top of a coming-of-age story with some shocks in between”. He said: “The audience will come away satisfied at the end.”

Asha Banks plays Cara

Banks as Cara, Pip’s best friend (Photo: BBC/Moonage Pictures)

Banks made her TV debut in 2011 with minor roles in EastEnders and Call the Midwife, before being cast as young Éponine in the long-running musical Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre in 2012. Her other stage roles include 1984, Annie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾.

The 20-year-old made her feature film debut in German musical The Magic Flute in 2022.

Speaking about her role in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, she said: “I play Cara Ward, who is Pip’s best friend. They are like sisters and, honestly, I think Cara’s just the coolest ever. She’s so funny, she’s really sarcastic and dry. During filming, I spoke to Holly Jackson, who said she thought she was most similar to Cara out of the book characters, which made so much sense because everything that comes out of Holly’s mouth is sarcastic and hilarious and it’s kind of the same with Cara.”

She added: “I’m definitely most excited for the fantastic fans of Holly’s book to see what we’ve done with it and to see what they think of it. It was a little overwhelming, but in an amazing way, beginning filming and when we were announced. Everyone was so excited, so positive and just so loving towards it and to us. So I can’t wait to see the reaction as and when the trailer goes out, or any more snippets.”

Mathew Baynton plays Elliot Ward

Baynton as Elliot, Pip’s English teacher and Cara’s father (Photo: BBC/Moonage Pictures)

Baynton has written and starred in shows including Horrible Histories, Ghosts, Yonderland and The Wrong Mans. His other TV appearances include Gavin & Stacey, Peep Show, You, Me and the Apocalypse and Spy.

Describing his role in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, he said: “Elliot Ward is Pip’s English teacher and Cara and Naomi’s father. He believes in Pip and wants to help her do well, and he’s attempting to be everything to his girls after they lost their mother. He is trying to hold things together for their sake. It is that complexity that drew me to the role.”

He added: “I had worked with Dolly Wells years ago as an actor in Spy and was very excited to work with her as a director. It was a privilege to see her supporting this young cast, and fostering a really positive atmosphere in front of camera, one that ensured we could all do our best work.”

Other cast members include:

• Yali Topol Margalith plays Lauren (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, House of David)
• Jude Morgan-Collie plays Connor (Here We Go, Terminator: Dark Fate)
• Raiko Gohara plays Zach (Get Lost)
• India Lillie Davies plays Andie (Bridgerton)
• Rahul Pattni plays Sal (The Holy Yield, Casualty)