The Bletchley Circle
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | The Bletchley Circle |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Guy Burt |
| Date(s): | 6 September 2012 – 27 January 2014 |
| Medium: | Live Action Television |
| Country of Origin: | United Kingdom |
| External Links: | Wikipedia IMDb |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
The Bletchley Circle is a British TV drama about four women who worked as code-breakers during World War II, who team up again to solve a series of murders when it becomes apparent to one of them that the police are missing information and aren't interested in hearing it from her.
Canon
During World War II, Susan Gray, Millie Harcourt, Lucy Davis, and Jean McBrian were code-breakers at Bletchley Park, playing a key role in the British defense against the German armies. Afterwards, and sworn to secrecy about their involvement, the world expects them to return to the roles of housewives and spinsters. When Susan Gray realises that a series of murders around London have a pattern to them, and the police won't take her seriously, she enlists the help of her old friends from Bletchley to solve the case before another woman is murdered.
Season two sees more cases come up, but Susan, struggling with the trauma of nearly becoming a victim herself in season one, pulls away from the group, eventually leaving the in S2.E2. Alice Merren, takes her place for the remainder of season 2.
Cancellation
The original Bletchley Circle was cancelled in 2014 after just two short seasons; four years later, the spin-off The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco took its place, following Millie and Jean to the US.
Fandom
The fandom around The Bletchley Circle is relatively small, with Fanfiction.net having just 6 works for it and Archive of Our Own having 181. A small fandom also formed in spaces such as Tumblr and Twitter, in the former particularly around the ships, and the show appears in a number of multi-fandom vids during vidding events or challenges. It is a fandom occasionally requested in femslash or small fandom challenges and 24 of the 181 works on AO3 come from Yuletide.
Fan Commentary
I recently started watching the show The Bletchley Circle on Netflix.Its SO GOOD that it gives me goosebumps. I don't know what it is that makes me feel this way but i just adore these women so much. The main characters Susan, Camilla Lucy and Jean make such a good team and they are just so fascinating and BRILLIANT.
I highly recommend this show if you enjoy shows with strong female leads and/or mysteries.thewarmknight [1]
i started watching The Bletchley Circle purely for Sophie Rundle (duh), and it turned out to be pretty good! and Sophie's character is so smart, the Avengers wished she was on their team #sophie rundle#the bletchley circle#you're doing amazing sweetie#i would kill for her ok byevoulez-vous-a-ha [2]
Connections with Other Fandoms
Rachel Stirling, who played Millie, also played the lead role in Tipping the Velvet, and starred in Heartstopper in 2023. Sophie Rundle, who played Lucy, played Ann Walker in Gentleman Jack and also played a recurring role in Peaky Blinders. Anna Maxwell Martin, who played Susan, appeared in Line of Duty, Motherland, and Good Omens; and Julie Graham starred in Shetland.
Shipping
The fandom on AO3 leans mostly sapphic, with 146 of the 181 works marked as F/F.
The most common pairings are:
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfiction
- The Coded Letter by katekane. A coded letter is at the heart of a murder case. When Susan, aided by her colleagues at Bletchley Park, volunteers her assistance, the letter affects her life in unexpected ways. (Millie/Susan)
Fan vids
- Never Be Ordinary by eemersonm - A fan vid focusing on the impact the cases had on the five women from the show and their relationships with each other.
Archives and Communities
- The Bletchley Circle tag at Archive of Our Own
- Bletchley Circle at Fanfiction.net
- The Bletchley Circle search at Tumblr
References
- ^ "thewarmknight post at Tumblr". Archived from the original on 2023-11-10.
- ^ "voulez-vous-a-ha post at Tumblr". Archived from the original on 2023-11-10.