Richard Osman’s record-breaking novel The Thursday Murder Club makes its long-awaited screen debut

Directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Mrs Doubtfire), the story follows four retirees at Coopers Chase retirement village: Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) and Joyce (Celia Imrie). All of whom pass at least some of their time investigating cold cases, as the Thursday Murder Club, until a real murder actually lands on their doorstep.

Between them they have a bunch of skills well suited to the job – particularly Elizabeth, who has a shady past as a spy, or something equally secretive in MI6. Also Joyce, who was a nurse and is excellent at knowing things like how long it takes a stab victim to bleed out, and so forth. Joyce’s other skill is making cakes.

If you’ve read the book – and with over 15 million copies of the debut novel sold already, many have – you’ll be familiar with the story. If you haven’t, there are no spoilers in this article. Not that you need worry about it. The book managed to keep me guessing whodunit for quite a while, but somehow on screen it seems less of a challenge to work it all out. I’ll admit that might be down to the fact that I do actually know who dun it. But anyway.

The casting

When you read a book, you picture the characters in your mind. It’s one of the best things about reading as opposed to watching, and I was curious to see how the TMC would translate. Generally, I think this is well cast, although I had Elizabeth down as less emotional and warm. I pictured Eileen Atkins, but got the softer Helen Mirren. Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim was a shoo-in, and Celia Imrie is a cracking Joyce.

But Pierce Brosnan as Red Ron is wildly miscast. Not the lairy, bumptious gobby socialist of the book, Brosnan is way too charming, with a very reserved energy, and don’t get me started on the wildly fluctuating accents. For Ron, I imagined Ray Winstone, not Remington Steele. But not only that, I’m afraid Brosnan is missing the comedy bone. The man is not funny, and Ron’s character in the book is heavy on the comedy.

I loved Jonathan Pryce as the delightful Stephen, slowly disappearing into dementia – an excellent bittersweet performance. And there’s a pretty stellar British cast lined up for the other characters, including Naomi Ackie as Donna, Tom Ellis as Jason Ritchie – Ron’s son, David Tennant as Ian Ventham, and Richard E. Grant as gangster Bobby Tanner. Does Grant make a good villain? I’ll let you have a guess at that. I love Grant, but this is not his metier. He’s about as menacing as one of Joyce’s cakes. Daniel Mays makes a great DCI Chris Hudson, with the right touch of comedy and brash faux Sweeney vibes.

There is some eye candy in the shape of Henry Lloyd-Hughes, who plays a very sexy Bogdan. Perhaps one of the major upgrades in terms of characterisation. And I always love to see David Tennant, although his Ian Ventham is far too much like his recent Tony Baddingham in Jilly Cooper’s Rivals on Disney+. Is this what he does now, play English baddies? I don’t care really, he’s always watchable, but it’s not exactly a stretch for this fine actor.

Mirren, long tipped by fans for the role of Elizabeth, called the book “utterly charming” and said she relished playing the sharp, enigmatic leader of the group. Brosnan described Ron as “a stout fellow of good character… humorous, theatrical, with wonderful set pieces.” Kingsley compared his psychiatrist Ibrahim’s empathy and analysis to his own craft as an actor, while Imrie said she “fell in love” with Joyce’s warmth and innocence.

Great location

Shot at Shepperton Studios and on location in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, the film brings Coopers Chase vividly to life. Columbus calls it “the Hogwarts version of a retirement community.”

Since its release in 2020, Osman’s debut novel has become the UK’s best-selling book of the decade. He says he was inspired by his mother’s retirement village. “I thought, what if there was a murder here? I bet you these people could solve it.”

This is not challenging or groundbreaking in any sense of the word. Except perhaps for the premise that the main protagonists are in a care home. But it’s great viewing for a Sunday afternoon, and will absolutely appeal to the billions of Agatha Christie et al fans that crowd the world. Myself included. I enjoyed the book, and I enjoyed the film – although the latter perhaps rather less so.

The Thursday Murder Club lands on Netflix globally on Thursday 28 August 2025