Grace – Brighton detective series is back on ITV: all you need to know about the four new episodes

The first of four new Grace films – which are adaptions of Brighton-born bestselling author Peter James’ award winning novels – aired on ITV last night (Sunday, April 24).

The second series of Grace, produced by Second Act Productions, Tall Story Pictures, both part of ITV Studios, and Vaudeville Productions, will comprise four 120 minute films; Looking Good Dead, Not Dead Enough, Dead Man’s Footsteps and Dead Tomorrow. They will air at 8pm on consecutive Sunday nights and will then be available on the ITV hub.

John Simm returns as Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace alongside Richie Campbell who plays DS Glenn Branson. In this series Zoe Tapper joins the cast as Cleo Morey alongside Craig Parkinson, DS Norman Potting, and guest actor Arthur Darvill.

The series is filmed mainly in Brighton with a few scenes further along the Sussex coast.

EPISODES:

ITV said in the first film Looking Good Dead, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace suspects the sudden death of a former schoolteacher found in suspicious circumstances in a respectable Brighton backwater may not be the drugs overdose it first appears. And, when human remains are discovered in a Sussex crop field, Grace and Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson are drawn into an investigation that will test their abilities and their friendship to breaking point.

Not Dead Enough, sees Grace and Branson investigating the murder of wealthy socialite and patron of local charities, Katya Bishop, wife of a prominent Brighton entrepreneur, played by Arthur Darvill, who becomes the main suspect in the investigation. The Bishops seem to have led a charmed life, until Grace digs deeper behind the respectable facade and discovers all is not what it seems. Doing so, however, places him unknowingly in grave danger.

In Dead Man’s Footsteps, Grace leads the inquiry into the discovery of a woman’s skeletal remains in an old storm drain, believed to be the wife of a failed Brighton conman, who died several years prior in a plane crash. Grace must re-trace the man's steps in the years before his death, which leads him on a murky trail through the world of Brighton's oldest crime families but it’s not only on the professional front that Roy is chasing ghosts.

When in Dead Tomorrow a body is dredged up from the seabed of the English Channel it initially appears a burial at sea gone wrong, but a strange incision on the victim soon points to something very sinister. When two more bodies are found, news spreads like wildfire through Sussex and Grace begins to unearth that this is part of an altogether more chilling design, one which forces him to confront the question of just how far anyone would go to save the ones they love.

SEE ALSO: Grace: why Roy Grace creator Peter James is so delighted with John Simm’s portrayal of his Brighton-based detective. | SussexWorld (sussexexpress.co.uk)

THE CHARACTERS:

Roy Grace

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace wanted to be a police officer since his childhood, enthralled from a young age by his father, Jack, who was a well- respected Uniform Sergeant and used to take Roy on ride alongs with him. Grace cuts a well-seasoned, reassuring, and capable figure. There is a kindness to him but also a touch of steel. Steadfast and determined, he is driven by a relentless pursuit of facts and truth and has given his life to the job. Roy is still legally married to his wife, Sandy, who disappeared without a trace six years ago on his 40th birthday and has never been found to this day. He is burdened by years without closure and struggles to move on, despite his efforts to.

READ: What John Simm said about playing the role of Roy Grace: Grace - how John Simm is conquering the TV screen as Peter James' Brighton detective Roy Grace | SussexWorld (sussexexpress.co.uk)

Glenn Branson

Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson is a bright and ambitious police officer who has progressed quickly through the ranks of the force and has a very promising career ahead of him. Branson is witty, warm, clever and a great friend to Roy, who has been a mentor to Glenn throughout his time in the force. Married to Ari, a radiologist, they have two children: Sammy and Remi. After Sammy was born, Branson decided to join the police, having previously worked as a bouncer. He wanted more for himself and a career his children would be proud of.

Alison Vosper

Assistant Chief Constable Alison Vosper has moved around considerably in her career having worked in Birmingham, Northumberland, Ipswich, Bristol and Southampton. She always keeps a tight wall around her but underneath the occasionally frosty façade there can be a vulnerability. On the rare occasion, her eyes twinkle with humour. Vosper is kind and principled. Despite her reprimands, she knows Roy is a good cop and wants him to pull himself together. Despite rank, there is a friendship between them which comes from years of working together, though she does find it hard to reconcile his unorthodox methods with her view of what constitutes police work.

DS Norman Potting

Detective Sergeant Norman Potting joins the team in the second episode ‘Looking Good Dead’ when extra manpower is needed on the investigation. He is an old school cop through and through. Occasionally a little too blunt, sometimes politically incorrect, Norman has never really been interested in a promotion. He prefers frontline work rather than the bureaucratic responsibilities that come with rising up the ranks. Potting does what he does best: methodical police work which involves digging deep until he hits a lead. He is steady, dependable and someone who can get results, though he does ruffle the occasional feather.

Cleo Morey

Senior Anatomical Pathology Technician at Brighton’s mortuary, Cleo has a brilliant sense of humour and brims with confidence. Kind, eloquent, funny and fiercely intelligent, she has a wide range of cultural interests. She is devoted to her work and feels pathology is where she can make a difference. Cleo puts great care into her profession and tries to give the dead victims who come through the mortuary halls back some of the dignity that was taken from them.

DS Bella Moy

Detective Sergeant Bella Moy never misses a trick. She is sharp, clever and has great instincts. Detail oriented and a brilliant judge of character, she is devoted to her job and also a recovering chocaholic. Bella looks after her ailing mother but keeps her personal life very private.

SEE ALSO: Grace: here are all the books about the TV detective written by Sussex author Peter James | SussexWorld (sussexexpress.co.uk)