McDonald & Dodds: Mismatched detectives DS Dodds and DCI Lauren McDonald are back for a new series

Tala Gouveia is certainly impressed with the guest stars that have been recruited for the three feature-length episodes.

She says: “Toby Stephens and Lydia Leonard [are] both seasoned actors bringing something special episode one.

“Hugh Quarshie (Star Wars) lead our guest cast in episode two. He was incredible. Thoughtful, precise, enigmatic.

“Episode three, we had Victoria Hamilton who is just a complete pro, I absolutely loved watching her work. Richard Harrington is one of the funniest guys on set and Jason Hughes (Midsummer Murders), because we love a cheeky detective show crossover.

“And for the pop star fans we had Pixie Lott and Will Young. Both have brilliant acting chops.”

She adds: “Those are just a few examples. There are other faces audiences will recognise and some newbies as well.”

But whoever the guest stars may be, the real focus is still on the odd couple who give the series its name, although as Talia points out, their relationship has evolved since the detective drama began.

She says: “When McDonald first met Dodds in series one he seemed to her like a bumbling fool. She learns, as the audience do, that he is nothing of the sort. The two characters develop this really lovely partnership and bond and they really bounce off each other. A lot of people come up to me and say how much they love the relationship between them. It is very much at the heart of the show.”

However, their new understanding brings its own pressures.

Talia explains: “McDonald and Dodds trust each other a lot more now, but that sometimes makes the conflict more intense. It’s like if you have an argument with a friend or a partner or family member it can just feel so much worse, so actually it has heightened the stakes.

“There are moments where the trust feels broken between them. Someone goes behind the others back, or hasn’t shared something of the case perhaps. And that leads to conflict and unease between them, which has been really fun to explore.”

Hopefully, they can work together in the opening episode though as, after seemingly tying up the case of a journalist who died at a party at her own house, they are called to investigate a woman who was found shot dead in a rented flat in Bath.

The DNA evidence reveals the victim is Anne Holgate, who has been a missing person for the last 38 years after she vanished on her way home from school.

So, where has been all these years – and why did someone now want her dead?

The cops begin by questioning Anne’s only living relative Mark, who is now a wealthy financier who mixes with Bath’s elite. He’s clearly traumatised by his family’s tragedies, but is he also hiding a dark secret?