Mistletoe, mince pies, and a side of… murder? The Madame Blanc Mysteries is officially returning to our screens with an extra special episode that ticks all the boxes for the perfect Christmas watch! That's right, Sally Lindsay will be stepping back into the shoes of Jean White for a festive special of the adored Channel 5 detective drama. And if you haven't yet seen it, we should tell you that it's cosy crime at its finest.
To fill any newbies to the series in, former soap stars Sally Lindsay and Sue Vincent are the writing brains behind The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which has just concluded its fourth series. The crime drama is set in the idyllic French village of Sainte Victoire and stars Lindsay as antiques dealer turned investigator Jean White. It’s a series that has everything including mystery-solving, delicious drama and a serving of will-they-won’t-they romance.
While we wait eagerly for the Christmas special to grace our screens, here’s everything you need to know about it, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is The Madame Blanc Mysteries about?
Created by and starring Sally Lindsay, the series follows Jean White, an antiques dealer-turned-amateur detective. When her husband dies in mysterious circumstances in a car crash in the village of Sainte Victoire in southern France, where the couple own a house, Jean realises her assets have been pawned off – making her penniless. She moves there to investigate, teaming up with Dom (Steve Edge), a charming local cab driver.
Series 1 to 4 (and 3 Christmas specials!) have seen Jean White crack a variety of cases. Each episode contains its own individual mystery, and occasionally we see guest stars including Paul O’Grady and Les Dennis making cameos. We won’t give away any spoilers here, in case you haven’t caught up on the rest of the series yet, but let’s just say that the fourth instalment saw the exploration of a blossoming, yet "secret", romance...
What will happen in The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas special?
We don’t have plot details for the show’s fourth festive outing just yet. But we do know that the show’s central cast will be returning, including Sally Lindsay, Steve Edge and the rest. The show announced on Instagram: “Some extra special news this morning, as we can reveal that this Christmas we’ll be heading to Sainte Victoire for the first ever feature-length episode of The Madame Blanc Mysteries. Jean White is back to what she does best – and let’s just say, she’s as excited as we are.”
Sally Lindsay, who plays Jean White, commented: “This year’s Christmas special has been a true labour of love from our lot. Sue [Vincent] and I wanted all the brilliant elements of what makes a Christmas film but it to remain very Madame Blanc. We are all thrilled with the results. Merry Christmas!”
Who will star in The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas special?
The cast of The Madame Blanc Mysteries feature-length special will include:
- Sally Lindsay (Coronation Street) as Jean White
- Steve Edge (Benidorm, Happy Valley) as Dom Hayes
- Sue Holderness (Only Fools and Horses) as Judith Lloyd James
- Robin Askwith (Strike, Benidorm) as Jeremy Lloyd James
- Alex Gaumond (The Franchise) as Major André Caron
- Sue Vincent (Mount Pleasant) as Gloria Beauchamp
Is The Madame Blanc Mysteries any good?
Yes, it really is cosy crime at its finest. Following its debut in 2021, the series became one of Channel 5’s most popular new shows, with episodes averaging around 2.5 million viewers. Fans have called it "relaxing, feel-good entertainment", which is hardly surprising given it’s been created by two people with a serious eye for drama (Sally Lindsay and Sue Vincent (who also star as Jean White and Gloria Beauchamp).
A gritty and shadowy detective drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries is not. It’s set in the fictional and perpetually sunny French village of Saint Victoire (or Gozo in Malta, where the show is actually filmed) and is a comedic whodunit that also provides a good bit of escapism.
How can I watch The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas special?
Channel 5 hasn't yet shared a release date for The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas special, but we do know that it will air over the Christmas period in 2025. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we'll share it here. In the meantime, you can catch up on series 1 to 4 on Channel 5, or you can watch series 1 to 3 on Netflix.
Will there be a fifth series of The Madame Blanc Mysteries?
Sadly, we don’t have confirmation of a fifth series of The Madame Blanc Mysteries just yet, but Sally Lindsay previously told Radio Times that “I’ll write it as long as they want it.” She added: “I’m not under any, ‘Yes, I’ll quit when I’m on a high.’ No, I won’t. I love it so much. I will do it until they want me to not do it, to be honest, because it’s such a special thing in my life.” Since there seems to be a healthy appetite for the detective series, we predict it’s not going away any time soon…
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