Filming has begun on the third series of popular detective drama McDonald & Dodds starring Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins in the lead roles.
The latest series sees Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) join the cast as Chief Superintendent Ormond.
Reuniting DCI McDonald, played by Tala Gouveia, and DS Dodds, played by BAFTA award winner actor Jason Watkins, season three of the Bath set detective series consists of four standalone films.
Lily Sacofsky returns as DC Milena Pachiowski with Danyal Ismail joining the cast as DC Martin Malik
Speaking about her role in the new series, Claire Skinner, said: "I'm a huge fan of McDonald & Dodds so I'm delighted to be joining the cast as Chief Superintendent Ormond. Ormond is a quietly intimidating character so she'll be keeping McDonald & Dodds on their toes throughout this new series."
In the first film, Belvedere, a young woman is found dead sitting in a deckchair in broad daylight in one of Bath’s most beautiful and populated parks. Why did this woman die with a smile on her face?
Guest cast members starring in the first film include Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek), Holly Aird (Waking The Dead), , Catherine Tyldesley (Coronation Street) and Dame Siân Phillips (I, Claudius).
The series was commissioned for ITV by Polly Hill and Huw Kennair Jones and will be produced by Rebecca Davies. Executive producers are Damien Timmer and creator and lead writer Robert Murphy. Robert Murphy has written films one and four, Robert Drummond has written film two and Kam Odedra has written film three. Directors are Robert Quinn, Isher Sahota, Ian Aryeh and Sasha Ransome.
McDonald & Dodds is produced by leading independent production company Mammoth Screen, co-produced by BritBox North America, and created by Robert Murphy. Series two achieved consolidated ratings of 6.7m.
The first and second series are available to view via streaming platform Britbox North America. ITV Studios will distribute the drama internationally.
Mammoth Screen is one of the UK’s leading production companies. Past and forthcoming shows include The Serpent for BBC/Netflix, Noughts + Crosses, World on Fire and Grime Kids for the BBC, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans for Britbox and Endeavour and The Tower for ITV.
Mammoth Screen is an ITV Studios Company.
The indomitable DCI Vera Stanhope, assisted by her trusted colleague, DS Joe Ashworth, steps up for another series of challenging cases. She investigates the mysterious death of a pensioner on a busy commuter train (On Harbour Street), unearths a thirty year mystery after a brutal murder on the sands of a seaside resort (Protected), unpicks the tragic last months of a failed novelist gunned down on a remote Northumberland moor (The Deer Hunters), and delves into the tangled life of a businessman found floating in the water under the Gateshead Millennium Bridge (Death of a Family Man). Inspired by the novels written by renowned crime writer Ann Cleeves, and filmed against a backdrop of outstanding Northumberland landscapes and atmospheric production, each enthralling story is enhanced by the captivating performance of Brenda Blethyn as this shambolic yet brilliant detective.
