The third series of DCI Banks, based on Peter Robinson's series, with Stephen Tompkinson in the lead role, is six episodes, with two-parters of Wednesday's Child, Piece of My Heart and Bad Boy (the sixth, sixteenth and nineteenth books respectively in the series) and begins on Monday 3rd February at 9pm on ITV1.
From the ITV website:
The series sees the return from maternity leave of DS Annie Cabbot, played by Andrea Lowe (Love Life, Monroe), immediately thrown into a harrowing case for a new single mother. Having acknowledged their feelings for one another in the last series, the new episodes focus on whether a romantic relationship between Banks and Annie can ever be a reality. However, there are inevitable complications as the pair come to acknowledge their own unique and challenging roles as colleagues and parents.
Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) also returns to the series playing DI Helen Morton, the disarmingly blunt and often socially inept detective who joined Banks’ team when Annie left for maternity. Helen has to confront her inflexible approach to both her home and work life; can her relationship with Banks help her to understand when to bend the rules? With both Helen and Annie working under Banks, will he successfully be able to juggle the opposing views of these two strong willed independent women? How far will Banks go to keep both these women at his side?
This series also sees the surprise introduction of Banks’ university dropout daughter, Tracy. Although on the surface, Banks and Tracy have a good relationship, it becomes clear that neither father nor daughter really know each other as well as they pretend. The distance between the pair means Banks cannot see the real danger Tracy soon throws herself into until it is too late.
Inspector George Gently, starring Martin Shaw, returns for a sixth series (seventh if you include the pilot) consisting of four ninety-minute episodes and is set in 1969. The series takes its name from the George Gently series by Alan Hunter though Hunter's books were set in East Anglia, the series is set, and now filmed, in Northumberland.
The first episode, Gently Between the Lines, is on Thursday 6th February at 8.30pm on BBC One:
It is 1969, and approximately six months since the shootings in the cathedral. Gently is taken by surprise when he learns of Bacchus's resignation, realising that his sergeant has lost his confidence. Still suffering his own scars from the incident, Gently sets about fixing Bacchus and insists that he help him investigate a death in custody - a case that has both Gently and Bacchus questioning what it means to be a police officer at a time when attitudes to the police are changing. Meanwhile, the victim's family ask the pertinent question: 'aren't the police supposed to protect us?'.
