Get ready for the first scripted podcast from the world of Murdoch Mysteries

After 14 seasons on-screen, Murdoch Mysteries fans are finally going to get to experience the adventures of detective William Murdoch in a new medium. For the first time in the long running series history, Murdoch Mysteries is expanding into an all new scripted podcast to give fans a peek inside of the mind of William Murdoch. 

As part of the Canadian Audible Original series, the creators of Murdoch Mysteries have teamed up with Audible to create The Secret Diaries of Detective Murdoch. Starring Yannick Bisson, the detective himself, this 10-part companion to the popular series peers into the detective's diaries, giving fans deeper insight into the character and his most notable cases.

To celebrate the launch of the podcast, we talked to producer Davin Lengyel to get an inside look at this exciting new series.

CBC: Tell us about how the podcast and partnership with audible came to be?

DL: Shaftesbury has always used non-TV platforms to tell stories. Web series, games, AR/VR... so it's no surprise we were interested in podcasting. Murdoch was at the top of the list. Great characters. Great stories. There is such a huge and loyal fanbase. And most importantly, the character of William Murdoch is usually pretty buttoned-down, so there was a lot of "stuff" going on under the surface we could tackle.

Audible agreed. They contacted Shaftesbury about doing a podcast and were specifically looking for a narrative podcast related to the Murdoch Mysteries TV series. After all, it's a show that lends itself very well to the audio-book vibe of Audible properties. We both independently knew it was a great idea, and so it was an easy conversation once we came together that this was the first podcast we were going to make as a team. And as soon as we knew the Murdoch Mysteries TV writers were interested, we were off and running!

CBC: After 14 seasons, why is now the time for a Murdoch podcast?

DL: Now is the perfect time for this podcast because there are 14 seasons. There are so many rich stories to pull from. So many people that have crossed Murdoch's path. So many experiences have shaped his life - and that shape has changed and evolved. It's only once you've had a chance to write a television character for 14 years that you get the rare opportunity to see them grow and mature like a real person; that you get to see them change their opinions and experience life's many obstacles over a human-scale period of time.

And that's what makes it so exciting to be able to look back at the character of William Murdoch. How has his troubled relationship with his father changed over the years as new information has come to light? How has his relationship with Julia evolved as they faced and overcame so many struggles? And even more interesting, are the things that make up the man that will be a surprise to long-time fans of the series? As a man of science, what is his true relationship with his Catholic faith? Did he ever feel tempted by the femme fatale Eva Pearce? With over 200 episodes, long-time viewers will feel like they know Murdoch as well as they know members of their own family - but he may have private thoughts and struggles and ambitions and opinions that surprise you.

CBC: What challenges did you face translating a long running series into a different medium? What freedoms did it afford you?

DL: I think one of the most interesting challenges was whether or not to solve a new mystery in podcast form. Should the podcast be a five hour audio version of a television series episode? That was certainly on the table, and it's not hard to imagine that would be a fun way to tell a long-form mystery set in the Murdoch world. Ultimately, we chose a different path. We decided for this series to focus more on the man than the murders. We wanted to hear about the people in his life, and his private thoughts. That brought us to a diary; what would it be like to read a secret diary that Murdoch has been writing in all these years. He is very thoughtful and eloquent but guarded. He wouldn't have to be so reserved when writing for an audience of only himself. It was a great way to tell a slightly different kind of story. Not another fascinating murder mystery, but a peek inside the fascinating man who has spent his life solving those mysteries.

And this leads us to your next question: What freedoms it afforded. Although we wanted to stay true to the Murdoch canon (which was easy, given that the podcast is written by members of the television writing team including showrunner Pete Mitchell), the writers were able to go off of the beaten path; to find moments where Murdoch could pause and reflect. And a lot of that work hasn't been done before - or another way to say it, those are the sides of Murdoch that we only see bubble to the surface in the most extreme situations.

It reminds me of a story I heard about the Mona Lisa. Famously an enigmatic painting, the work becomes even more interesting when you learn that there are layers underneath - other drafts of the portrait that were painted over as da Vinci worked towards the final masterpiece we all know. By looking under the top layer you get new insight into the painter's process. I think that was what we offered the writers. A chance to peel back the top layer of Murdoch of they created for the television series and look at the inner workings.

CBC: Without spoiling too much, can you give as a peek into the stories we might hear this season?

DL: I think fans of Murdoch Mysteries are going to have two wonderful experiences with The Secret Diaries of Detective Murdoch. First, they're going to hear Murdoch reflecting on some of the characters that have had the deepest impact on his life and the series. His nemesis, James Gillies. His fellow inventor and man of science, James Pendrick. His colleague turned best friend, George Crabtree. We'll go along on a deep dive exploration of those long-standing relationships. Second, we're going to hear his personal thoughts on the most important moments in his life. The investigation into the death of his father. Parting with his adopted son Rolland. some of those episodes may just bring you to tears.

CBC: Any interesting BTS tidbits you can share with us?

DL: It was my first time working with Yannick Bisson, who plays the titular detective himself. We recorded during COVID, so we obviously were not in the same room together, but I was able to watch some of the episodes recorded on the other side of the sound booth glass. It was fun to watch Yannick become the character. After having portrayed William Murdoch for 14 years, he obviously has mastery over the character's performance - but it was a joy to see him adapt to this new environment. Audio-only. All voice. Even then, his hand gestures, his facial expressions - it was like William Murdoch had entered the booth.

What was kind of fun is one of the podcast episodes is a huge spoiler for a fun TV episode in the upcoming season 14! I won't tell you anything about that, though. And you'll have to wait until the TV show has come out before we're releasing that podcast episode. Something to look forward to!

I think it's also worth mentioning that our editor (and director of half of the episodes) Adam Killick - like Yannick - is a cyclist. It didn't take long for Adam and Yannick to geek out on biking whenever we had a break - it's like those guys were speaking another language.

"The Secret Diaries of Detective Murdoch" is available for streaming now and can be found at audible.ca/Murdoch

Watch full episodes of Murdoch Mysteries on CBC Gem.