Martin Shaw is to return for four new, feature-length George Gently dramas, the BBC announced yesterday. The first two of the new films will air in May and sees the show renamed as Inspector George Gently.
Returning alongside Shaw is Lee Ingleby as the ambitious and undisciplined Detective Sergeant John Bacchus.
In the first two films Shaw and Ingleby are joined by a strong cast of guest stars including: Sharon Maughan (Holby City), Jill Halfpenny (EastEnders), Mark Williams (The Fast Show, Harry Potter), Paul Copley (The Lakes), Mary Jo Randle (EastEnders), Tracey Wilkinson (Bad Girls), Nicola Burley (Souled Out) and Brendan Coyle (Lark Rise To Candleford) as suspects and victims.
Guest stars in the second two films include: Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval), Tariq Jordan (Law And Order), Tim McInnerny (The Devil’s Whore, Blackadder), Tom Goodman-Hill (The Devil’s Whore) – and, at last, we meet Mrs John Bacchus played by Melanie Clark Pullen (EastEnders, A Dinner Of Herbs).
Series writer Peter Flannery says: “The joy of writing the Gently stories lies in the period and the place. The place because it’s where I grew up; the period for the same reason, plus it gives me a chance to write about a country on the cusp of change.”
BBC Commissioning Editor, Polly Hill, says: “I’m delighted that Inspector George Gently is returning to BBC One for four more films. Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby have created a unique partnership and I know that drama fans will welcome their return.”