EastEnders favourite James Bye – who played Martin Fowler for a decade – will be swapping Albert Square for Austen this autumn when he takes to the stage at Theatre Royal Brighton as Mr Darcy in the new production of Death Comes to Pemberley.
The show, which starts next week and is running from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 September 2025, is the world premiere stage adaptation of P.D. James’s bestselling novel, which imagines life for Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy six years after their marriage in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice.
But this is no genteel Regency romance. As Elizabeth’s sister Lydia bursts in with shocking news – a man has been found murdered in the woods – suspicion falls on her husband, George Wickham. The Darcys’ happy life at Pemberley is soon rocked by scandal, secrets and betrayal.
James Bye said:
“After a decade of gritty storylines it’s going to be quite a switch to put on period clothes as one of literature’s romantic leading men.”
The production is adapted by Duncan Abel and Rachel Wagstaff, the team behind stage versions of The Girl on the Train and The Da Vinci Code, and directed by Jonathan Boyle.
Alongside Bye as Darcy, the cast includes Jamie-Rose Duke (Casualty) as Elizabeth Darcy, Sean Rigby (Endeavour) as Colonel Fitzwilliam, Celia Cruwys-Finnigan (RSC’s Mrs Littlewood) as Georgina Darcy, Sam Woodhams (Mickey 17) as George Wickham, Mogali Masuku (As You Like It, RSC) as Lydia Wickham, Paul Jerricho (Casualty) as Mr Bidwell, and David Osmond (The Tempest, RSC) as Henry Alveston.
Set against the splendour of Theatre Royal Brighton’s Regency auditorium – one of the country’s oldest working theatres – Death Comes to Pemberley promises a gripping mix of romance and intrigue in a very fitting setting.
Venue: Theatre Royal Brighton
Dates: Tue 2 – Sat 6 Sep 2025
Evenings 7.30pm | Matinees Wed, Thu & Sat 2.30pm
Tickets: ATGTickets.com/Brighton
