Tommy & Tuppence's Antonia Thomas And Josh Dylan Take Us Inside BritBox's Flirty, Fun Agatha Christie Adaptation

Let's get one thing clear from the jump: The titular characters at the center of BritBox's new "Tommy & Tuppence" are creations of mystery maven Agatha Christie, but they're no Poirot nor Miss Marple. Or even Ariadne Oliver.

The series' main duo are "not good detectives when they first come to this," series star Antonia Thomas ("The Good Doctor") says, laughing. "They're just figuring it out, like any normal person would if they were thrown into one of those scenarios. And as an actor, I think that's a really fun journey to plot for a character to go on: Being just your everyday Joe to suddenly becoming good at detecting is kind of fun and cool — and, hopefully, accessible."

"Fun," "cool," and "accessible" are good adjectives to describe the show, which also stars Josh Dylan ("The Buccaneers") as Tommy, a mystery novelist with a bit of writer's block. He and Tuppence, a struggling actress, dated years ago at university; they bump into each other at a fancy party in the series' premiere.

The bash comes to an abrupt end when someone turns up murdered, and it's not long before the former lovebirds find themselves so intrigued by the crime that they set off on an amateur — and platonic — attempt to solve it.

"In a way," Dylan says, Tommy is "living his dream." Though he's out of his comfort zone, tracking down clues in real life, "that's where Tuppence comes in and provides the impetus, provides the spark, and that's why they're so compatible: She encourages him, or rather thrusts them both, into action."

He laughs. "But I think he loves it."

"Tommy & Tuppence" premieres today with two 45-minute episodes on BritBox; new installments follow weekly. Read on as Thomas and Dylan give us a taste of what the pair will be up to in coming episodes.

TVLINE | When we come into the season, it's the first time that Tuppence and Tommy have seen each other in about a decade. How much do you think they've been on each other's minds during that time?
JOSH DYLAN | Great question.
ANTONIA THOMAS | I think Tuppence, a lot more than she'd like to admit. I mean, she wouldn't admit it at all!
DYLAN | Every day, baby! All day, every day!
THOMAS | [Laughs] She's read all his books. Even though, in our version of the story, it was definitely Tuppence who maybe did the breaking off the first time around, it definitely feels like unfinished business for sure — and maybe a big mistake, and something that she has always been left kind of wondering [about].

TVLINE | Josh, how about for Tommy?
DYLAN | I think he thinks about her an awful lot... I think it was a very, very important relationship.

TVLINE | Right from the first episode, there seems to be a comfort between them that hasn't gone away in the intervening years.
THOMAS | Definitely. When someone's been really important in your life, and you've been with them for enough time, apart from the fact that you know there was romance and they're lovers and all the rest of it, I think they're just like really, really good friends. I think they got on famously well. They just have that kind of instant chemistry, and an ease. So it's just really nice to see each other. And all the things, in that time when they've not been in touch, there's probably many times when it's like, "Tommy would really love that." It's a real delight to be able to hang out... It's sort of an immediate soul-shorthand thing."

TVLINE | After watching the premiere, I'm impressed with how quickly they're willing to do undercover work.
THOMAS | I think Tuppence, just generally being an actress — a frustrated, out-of-work actress — jumps at the opportunity to try and play different characters. [Laughs] You'll see quite a bit of that.

TVLINE | And for Tommy, it's like he's completely out of water there, right?
DYLAN | He's very bad at it.
THOMAS | He's not very bad!
DYLAN | He's not a gifted improviser.

TVLINE | Neither of you had worked with Imelda Staunton ("The Crown") before. [Editor's note: Staunton plays Tommy's Aunt Ada.] Tell me everything you can about working with such a legend.
DYLAN | She's wonderful and magical. I feel like she provides something in the show that is very special. We loved working with her — obviously, she's Imelda Staunton. She needs no explanation. And so for me, our kind of familial relationship in it was just lovely to play. I actually have known her for a few years, because I was in drama school with her daughter ["Outrageous" and "Bridgerton" actress Bessie Carter]. So it was quite surreal that we had a sort of history together. It felt quite lovely and natural and warm.
THOMAS | Imelda's one of those actresses when you're starting out as an actor at drama school, she's one of those names that is just like a British stalwart, a kind of a legend. So it's just such a treat to get to work with her. Nerve-wracking and exciting. She was just so brilliant. She came in and did her stuff, and watching an absolute veteran like that was so cool.

TVLINE | Were either of you bummed when you found out that this show would be set in the present-day, and there wouldn't be any period costumes?
DYLAN | We knew that when we signed on.
THOMAS | We knew that. I love a period drama, though, and at some point really want to do one.
DYLAN | Have you not done one?
THOMAS | [Laughs] I hae done one, a long time ago. An episode of "The Musketeers." But I'd like to do more. So maybe, you know, in Season 2, for some reason they have to dress up in period costume? Maybe Phoebe [Eclair-Powell, writer/executive producer] can bring that in.

Are you planning to watch Tommy & Tuppence? Are there any other upcoming BritBox shows you can't wait to see? Hit the comments, and let us know!