Bertie Carvel explains why time might be right to say goodbye to Dalgliesh
The actor also hinted at the possibility of original stories with the character.
Dalgliesh star Bertie Carvel has addressed the future of the hit Channel 5 detective drama, which returns this week with its third season based on the novels by PD James.
Set in the mid-1970s, the series introduced us to lead character Adam Dalgliesh (Carvel) during a dark period in his life, grappling with terrible loss having recently been widowed.
However, through his important work, he has been able to rediscover some meaning, and Carvel teases that the character will be turning a corner in the third season, describing the "sliver of ice in his heart" as "starting to thaw".
Fans will be wondering whether this is the end of the line for Dalgliesh or if we'll be seeing more from the detective – alas, Carvel declined to make any decisive statements in an interview with RadioTimes.com and other press.
"There have been conversations and I'd certainly love to do more," he began. "There are not that many more novels to adapt. But I don't know, it's above my pay grade, really, to know what the future will be.
"I'd certainly love to do more, let's put it that way."
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Carvel went on to hint that, should viewer demand outlast the number of novels to adapt, he would be intrigued by the prospect of telling original stories with Dalgliesh from the mind of current showrunner Helen Edmundson.
He continued: "Adaptation is such a sensitive thing. Helen Edmundson, who's the lead writer and the showrunner... I think she is a genuinely extraordinary adapter, but she's also an extraordinary writer of original material.
"I think she's so sensitively and brilliantly and cleverly adapted these things, I would love to know what she could do... I'm very excited by her stewardship of the character."
Carvel explained: "I think she’s remained true to PD James, but you can never deliver the source material because the format is different. It's always going to be an original thing.
"And I guess what I'm saying is I'm really excited to see what Helen wants to do next."
But should things pan out differently and Dalgliesh season 3 becomes the final chapter in the story, Carvel is confident that fans will be satisfied with it as a farewell that brings the title character's journey to a fitting crescendo.
He said: "I also feel, by the way, that if we let it rest here, we've reached a natural caesura because, basically, if we end here, it's the story of a man who is destroyed by grief, who also happens to spend his time with dead people, and who goes on a kind of inner and spiritual journey to process his grief by spending more time with dead people."
Carvel added: "And I think he gets to a point by where we leave the third season, where he's not sure what's going to happen next, but something is growing which he thought never would – and where that sliver of ice in his heart is maybe starting to thaw... that's good enough for me.
"I'm ready to leave it behind now, I've had a good time, but I'd also happily do more."
Dalgliesh returns to Channel 5 on Thursday 5th December 2024.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
