Hit Channel 5 crime drama to return for new series with Benidorm and Only Fools and Horses legends
A HIT Channel 5 drama has been green lit for another series starring Benidorm and Only Fools and Horses legends.
The broadcaster is bringing back The Madame Blanc Mysteries for a fourth run.
In a further announcement, the drama will also get a Christmas special this year.
Sally Lindsay leads the role of Jean White in beloved series, playing an antiques dealer and amateur sleuth.
She is the key to solving a slew of killings and mysteries set against the picturesque French village of Sainte Victoire.
Steve Edge, Sue Vincent, Robin Askwith, Sue Holderness and Alex Gaumond will all reprise their roles.
Meanwhile, Channel 5 have announced additional stars are joining the cast.
Tony Robinson and Paul Chuckle will complete the lineup as Dom’s Uncle Patrick, a petty thief turned pub landlord and as Trevor, Gloria’s dad.
Speaking about The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ return, Sally said: “I think if you had told me five years ago when I came up with the idea of Madame Blanc that in the not too distant future our show would be not only a hit in the United Kingdom but America, Australia, Canada (to name but a few), I would have been astounded.
“But, amazingly, it is! And our team could not be more thrilled to bring you a brand new season of sunshine, laughs and antiques.
“All the gang are back with some more fantastic surprise guests visiting St. Victoire and we can’t wait for you all to enjoy soon.”
While the Christmas special will air this year, fans will have to wait until 2025 to get stuck into the action.
Top Channel 5 dramas
Channel 5 has become a hub for gripping drama, these are some of the best My5 has to offer.
- All Creatures Great and Small – Based on the best-selling novels by real-life vet Alf Wright, the show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. Eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) hires James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House alongside himself and his younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). There James settles into his new life and even finds love with local farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton).
- The Ex-Wife – New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack’s overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple. But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve.
- Heat – EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive…
- Lie With Me – Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair. However it’s far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead.
- The Drowning – Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she’s finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him. But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long?