saving grace
‘The rug will be pulled from under you’ reveals Grace’s John Simm as he teases new ITV series – days after a shock exit
Fans are counting down the days until series four hits screens
THE CENTRAL star of Grace has hinted at big surprises coming for fans in an upcoming season of the ITV show.
John Simm plays Detective Roy Grace on the crime drama, and has spoken about the future of the series in the lead up to season four airing.
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ITV bosses already confirmed that Grace is coming back for a fifth series in 2025.
Up until now, the show has been based on the action in the Roy Grace novels written by bestseller Peter James.
However, John hinted that the fifth season might shock even those superfans who have read all the books.
In an interview with the Sun's TV Mag, he revealed: "We’ve already started to veer a little away from the books – there are certain little
things.
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"The TV show is not a novel, you can’t put a whole novel into an hour and a half, it’s virtually impossible, so we have to start veering away a little bit.
"And a lot of these books were written a long time ago so it has to be changed a little bit for a modern audience, and it has to be brought up to date.
"So there are subtle differences, and we’ve already started veering away from the books because in the books the character of Bella is dead, and we didn’t want Bella to die, so she’s not in the TV show.
"Episode two of this – Want You Dead – is pretty different to the book, but there are reasons for all these things, and Peter James is
happy for it to evolve.
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"Even if you’ve read the book, you’re not necessarily going to be
completely sure what’s going to happen – the rug will be pulled from under you. But I think it’s been done in quite a subtle way."
John went on to add that even if all of the material from the novels gets used up, show writer Peter James has some ideas of his own.
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So fans don't need to worry that the book series continuing or ending would have an effect on the plot of the TV show.
John's revelations come just days after his co-star Craig Parkinson revealed that he will be leaving the cast of Grace ahead of season five.
Craig has played DS Norman Potting since the show's inception in 2021.
However, he has now let followers know that he will be hanging up his detective badge in an emotional announcement on Instagram.
Crime dramas on ITVX
Crime drama buffs have a wide selection of choices on ITVX - here is a selection of some of the programmes available to binge.
- Professor T: Based on a Belgian TV series of the same name, former Death in Paradise lead Ben Miller plays the title character. Professor Jasper Tempest is a criminologist with OCD who helps the police solve crimes. The cast also includes Emma Naomi, Barney White and Andy Gathergood.
- The Beast Must Die: This series follows a mother's grief for her son, who was killed in an accident. Nicholas Blake's novel of the same name has been adapted for the programme. Stars include Cush Jumbo, Jared Harris, Billy Howle and Geraldine James.
- Red Eye: Starring Richard Armitage, Jing Lusi and Lesley Sharp star in this six-part thriller, which mostly takes place during an all-night flight between London and Beijing. With dead bodies piling up and a mystery to unravel, the heroes must work fast to get to the truth.
- The Twelve: This Australian drama originally aired as a miniseries in 2022, with the episodes dropping in the UK in February 2023. Four months later, the show was renewed for a second season. Jurassic Park star Sam Neill stars in the leading role of barrister Brett Colby.
- Manhunt: Martin Clunes stars in this drama based on true murder investigations. Series one focused on the death of Amélie Delagrange, which took place in 2004, while the second depicted the search for serial rapist Delroy Grant.
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