The Inspector Lynley Mysteries The Inspector Lynley Mysteries The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a British crime drama, broadcast on BBC One from 12 March 2001 to 1 June 2008, comprising six series and twenty-three episodes. The protagonist, Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton (Nathaniel Parker), who is assigned to Scotland Yard, finds himself paired with Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small). In addition to the tensions involved in solving murder cases, the series is built on clashes of personality, gender and class: Lynley is a polished man and a peer of the realm, and Havers is an untidy woman from a
Earl of Oxford and Asquith as a courtesy title by the heir apparent to the earldom. Asquith had originally wanted to be created simply Earl of Oxford. However, this greatly offended the relatives of the dormant earldom of Oxford, held for many centuries by the de Vere family, and Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, held by the Harley family in the second creation. In the face of opposition from them, another title had to be selected – the formal title 'Earl of Oxford and Asquith' was finally decided as a compromise, with it being abbreviated to 'Earl of Oxford' in everyday conversation and letters,