ITV renews crime dramas ‘Grace’, ‘The Bay’, ‘Ridley’ and ‘McDonald & Dodds’

We’ve got great news for fans of British detective shows!

ITV has confirmed that four of its biggest crime drama series have been renewed for 2024.

Returning with brand new episodes next year are McDonald & Dodds, The Bay, Grace, and Ridley.

Jason Watkins (The Crown) and Tala Gouveia (Cold Feet) began filming a fourth season of McDonald & Dodds earlier this summer in Bath, England.

“We’re thrilled to be returning to the beautiful city of Bath for more original and inventive crimes for McDonald and Dodds to solve,” commented ITV drama commissioner Huw Kennair Jones.

The pair will return in three new feature-length stories, alongside Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) as Chief Superintendent Ormond.

Joining the series in guest roles this time will be Toby Stephens (Lost In Space), singer Pixie Lott (The Voice Kids), Lydia Leonard (Gentleman Jack), and Ace Bhatti (Line of Duty).

A fifth season of The Bay will begin production later this year.

Marsha Thomason will reprise her role as Jenn Townsend in another six-part mystery from writer Daragh Carville (Being Human).

“[We] couldn’t be happier to be heading back to Morecambe with Marsha and the team for another case,” said executive producer Catherine Oldfield.

“We love making the show and so we’re delighted to be producing another series for ITV and viewers at home and abroad.”

The latest case for Morecambe MIU will focus on the emotionally complex life of a divided family. With the father and mother of the victim bitterly divorced, Jenn and the team will have to tread very carefully to keep the whole family onside.

John Simm has been busy shooting a fourth season of Grace in Brighton since the spring.

He’ll be back as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, alongside Richie Campbell (Top Boy) as DS Glenn Branson, Zoë Tapper (Liar) as Cleo Morey, and Craig Parkinson (Indian Summers) as DS Norman Potting.

Hustle star Robert Glenister is joining the cast too.

Simm has promised that the four new feature-length Grace films will be “as dark as ever with lots of twists and turns.”

“As a writer, the chance to have such a phenomenal and collaborative cast and crew to bring my novels to life continues to be a dream come true,” added author Peter James.

“Audiences have so generously embraced the series with such enthusiasm and I cannot wait for Roy Grace fans, old and new, to see these four new episodes.”

Line of Duty actor Adrian Dunbar will reprise his role as retired Detective Inspector Alex Ridley in a second season of Ridley.

We’ll be getting four feature-length episodes this time around.

The crime drama debuted in 2022, becoming ITV’s fourth biggest new drama launch of the year.

“There can be no greater endorsement of hard work and talent than the recommission of a series, and to that end we have to thank ITV and the British public for taking to Ridley in such numbers,” Dunbar commented.

“We shall certainly work just as hard to keep the standard we have set and I look forward to developing Ridley as a character over the next four episodes.”

All these series air on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX in the UK, and on BritBox in the US.

Also coming back for a sixth season in 2024 is Unforgotten!

There’s more Vera and lots of new Midsomer Murders on the way too.

The first four seasons of The Bay are available to watch on BritBox with a free 7-day trial.