On the CASE

JASON WATKINS and TALA GOUVEIA on solving crimes, chips in butter and celebrating a birthday Dodds-style!

-  NATASHA HOLT

MCDONALD & DODDS NEW SUNDAY, 8PM, ITV DRAMA

Brace yourselves for more star suspects and complex crimes as mismatched cops DCI Lauren McDonald and DS Dodds are back on B the beat in the beautiful city of Bath.

The third series of ITV's popular drama McDonald & Dodds will challenge the pair - played by Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins - to solve four cases, starting with the mysterious death of a young woman sitting in a deckchair in the middle of a busy park.

The investigation leads to linguistics professor George Gillan (Alan Davies), who lives with his eccentric mother Agnes (Dame Siân Phillips) in a rambling mansion. But could a newcomer to the area, played by Catherine Tyldesley (see our interview, right), provide the key to cracking the puzzle? We caught up with Tala and Jason to find out more...

Are you happy to return for series three?

TALA It was really nice going back and knowing what the show is and what people like about it. It's like a family and it's so enjoyable to work with Jason.

McDonald and Dodds have developed a rhythm, and as their relationship has grown, so has mine and Jason's.

JASON It's just delightful. The show is a joy to make, and I love playing Dodds. He's seemingly straightforward but actually quite a complicated character.

This time, the pair have personal connections to some of the cases...

TALA Yes, the second episode is based around Formula 1, and there's a nice storyline in it where someone from McDonald's past is involved in the case. You get to see a bit more of her personal life and another side of her.