If there’s a crime drama we can rely on to always come up trumps, it’s ITV’s Grace. In news that will please fans everywhere, the beloved Sunday night show is finally returning to our screens for a very eventful series 5 - and it’s set to be more watchable than ever!
Based on the best-selling novels by Peter James, the new four-part instalment will see John Simm return as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, the hard-working police officer who’s given his life to job – and let’s just say he’s got a lot on his plate. A personal tragedy, missing persons, a brutal robbery…it’s going to be quite the series.
Fortunately, we've not got long to wait until the show's return this April, but in the meantime, we’ve got all the inside details…
What is ITV's Grace about?
The Brighton-set series is based on the bestselling novels by Peter James, with the first ever episode airing in March 2021. John Simm starred in the lead role as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a tenacious detective haunted by the disappearance of his wife some years earlier. Over the course of four series, he and sidekick Glenn Branson (Richie Campbell) have investigated everything from a missing groom to a vicious robbery and a 30-year-old murder case. It’s safe to say, there’s rarely been a dull moment!
What will happen in Grace series 5?
The new four-part series will adapt four stories from Pater James’s books, Dead If You Don’t, Dead At First Sight, Need You Dead and Find Them Dead. John Simm will (thankfully!) return as DS Roy Grace, and we’ll see him deal with cases including a missing teenager, a gang of fraudsters running an online dating agency, as well as themes including drugs, trafficking and judicial blackmail.
There’s also a lot going on in Roy’s personal life. At the end of series 4, Roy was finally reunited with his long-lost wife, Sandy (Clare Calbraith), and she revealed he had a son named Bruno. The news came just as Roy was preparing for the arrival of his first child with his new partner Cleo (Zoë Tapper). In a recent interview, however, John Simm revealed that there’s tragedy in store for the couple.
"When we find Cleo and Roy, they are dealing with the loss of a child which has happened between the series," he explained. "So you realise quite quickly what's happened. They're also trying to deal with Bruno, who's now kind of living with them. They both have to try and bond with Bruno through obviously tragic circumstances, what happened to Sandy, etc in the previous series."
"It’s quite heightened but great to play, you need some dramatic tension. As actors, it's much better to play something like that. It was a lovely challenge, actually."
Zoë Tapper, who plays Cleo, said of the new storyline: "You find out very early on that she's lost the baby, so that's the sort of first image you have of her and of them is dealing with this really devastating loss.
"They were really poignant, moving scenes to film and interesting in another way, because I think for Cleo, her work is so integral to who she is as a person, and she's on bereavement leave at the beginning of this series, and Roy has had to go back to work, so they're separated in their grief as well."
Who's starring in Grace series 5?
The cast of Grace series 5 includes:
- John Simm as DS Roy Grace
- Richie Campbell as DS Glenn Branson
- Zoë Tapper as Cleo Morey
- Laura Elphinstone as DS Bella Moy
- Brad Morrison as DC Nick Nicholl
- Sam Hoare as ACC Cassian Pewe
Is ITV's Grace any good?
There’s a reason Grace has been going for (almost) 5 series and that’s because it’s a brilliant, meticulously plotted crime drama. It’s garnered a huge fan base, with each series continuing to smash viewing figures - and we’ve no doubt series 5 will do the same.
How can I watch Grace series 5?
While ITV hasn’t yet shared an official release date for Grace series 5, we do know that it will air this spring, so we don’t have long to wait. In the meantime, series 1-4 are available to stream on ITVX.
Will there be a sixth series of Grace?
Yes! Believe it or not, ITV has already confirmed that Grace will return for a sixth series. We also know that John Simm will be back for the four new episodes. As soon as we have more details about the sixth instalment, we'll share them here.
