The Good Ship Murder is setting sail for season 4, with Shayne Ward once again at the helm as retired police detective-turned-cabaret singer Jack Grayling. But he won’t be navigating these waters alone.
Joining the cast is former Doctor Who star Peter Davison, who will play Jack’s dad, Eddie Grayling, a “smooth talking, streetwise silver fox” and former Serious Crimes detective.
“Eddie is still razor sharp, so when the ship sails into choppy waters, he brings his old-school policing methods out of retirement to form a crack crime solving duo with his son,” reads the character description.
“It’s been a pleasure to join The Good Ship Murder,” said Davison, who described his character as “a delight to play”.
“Shayne and I have relished establishing a father and son dynamic in the Good Ship’s sleuthing team,” he added. “Shayne has made fitting in, and filming our many scenes, so easy. Even if it’s obvious he can run a little faster, and sing a lot better than me.”
Davison will also be joined by Fiona Allen (Smack the Pony), who takes over from Catherine Tyldesley as the ship’s new captain, Serena ‘The Iceberg’ Teller, a “trail blazer for women in maritime roles”.
Described as a “formidable figure”, Serena “strikes fear into her crew”. But there are moments when the ice thaws, revealing the “huge sacrifices” she has made to achieve her success.
“What an honour to be at the helm of The Good Ship Murder, but with great power comes great responsibility and Captain Serena Teller is a character with many layers,” said Allen.
“She’s great fun to play and I’ve been excited to bring something new to a much-loved series.”
The guest cast also includes Anita Dobson (Doctor Who, EastEnders), Richard Blackwood (The Madame Blanc Mysteries, EastEnders), Matthew Kelly (Inside No. 9, Not Going Out), Rula Lenska (Mr Bigstuff, Coronation Street), Debra Stephenson (Bad Girls, Coronation Street), Neil Stuke (Hijack, Grantchester) and Ramon Tikaram (Kaos, Pennyworth).
“It’s truly a pleasure to welcome the great Peter Davison and Fiona Allen to the Good Ship family, along with this season’s incredible guest stars,” said Ward.
“The casting has been met with pure excitement, with a real buzz around the new arrivals, who are steering the ship into new waters.”
And those new waters, as you’d expect, are set to be choppy, with Jack charting “both personal and professional pressures” as “high stakes mysteries unfold once more against the picture postcard backdrop of the sunny Mediterranean”.
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5 commissioning editor Greg Barnett, who also praised this season’s “incredible guest-star appearances”, teased a “hugely dramatic and entertaining” run, which is currently filming in Malta aboard the MSC Virtuosa.
There’s no release date yet, but the series has aired two Christmas specials to date, with previous seasons launching in January – so watch this space for updates.
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