Filming has begun on the third series of the popular detective drama "McDonald & Dodds," starring Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins in the lead roles. The latest series sees Claire Skinner (from "Outnumbered") joining the cast as Chief Superintendent Ormond. Reuniting DCI McDonald (played by Tala Gouveia) and DS Dodds (played by BAFTA award-winning actor Jason Watkins), season three of the Bath-set detective series consists of four standalone films. Lily Sacofsky returns as DC Milena Pachiowski, with Danyal Ismail joining the cast as DC Martin Malik.
Speaking about her role in the new series, Claire Skinner said: "I’m a huge fan of McDonald & Dodds, so I’m delighted to be joining the cast as Chief Superintendent Ormond. Ormond is a quietly intimidating character, so she’ll be keeping McDonald & Dodds on their toes throughout this new series."
In the first film, "Belvedere," a young woman is found dead sitting in a deck chair in broad daylight in one of Bath’s most beautiful and populated parks. Why did this woman die with a smile on her face? Guest cast members starring in the first film include Alan Davies (from "Jonathan Creek"), Holly Aird (from "Waking The Dead"), Catherine Tyldesley (from "Coronation Street"), and Dame Sian Phillips (from "I, Claudius").
The series was commissioned for ITV by Polly Hill and Huw Kennair Jones and will be produced by Rebecca Davies. Executive producers are Damien Timmer and creator/lead writer Robert Murphy. Robert Murphy has written films one and four, Robert Drummond has written film two, and Kam Odedra has written film three. Directors are Robert Quinn, Isher Sahota, Ian Aryeh, and Sasha Ransome.
"McDonald & Dodds" is produced by leading independent production company Mammoth Screen, co-produced by BritBox North America, and created by Robert Murphy. Series two achieved consolidated ratings of 6.7 million. The first and second series are available to view via the streaming platform BritBox North America. ITV Studios will distribute the drama internationally. Mammoth Screen is one of the UK’s leading production companies. Past and forthcoming shows include "The Serpent" for BBC/Netflix, "Noughts + Crosses," "World on Fire," and "Grime Kids" for the BBC, "Why Didn’t They Ask Evans" for BritBox, and "Endeavour" and "The Tower" for ITV. Mammoth Screen is an ITV Studios Company.
