The Good Ship Murder, a new eight-part drama coming soon to Channel 5, follows an investigation into the death of a passenger on a Mediterranean cruise.
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Catherine Tyldesley and Shayne Ward star as First Officer Kate Woods and copper-turned cabaret singer Jack Grayling, who team up in an attempt to unmask the perpetrator.
But with multiple suspects, their job is far from easy.
This isn't the first time Tyldesley and Ward have worked together. They both appeared in Coronation Street, with the former joining the soap in 2011 as Eva Price, and Ward entering the picture as Aidan Connor in 2015.
Their characters were in a relationship with one another, which ended in disaster when Eva discovered that Aidan had cheated on her with best friend Maria, played by Samia Longchambon.
Tyldesley and Ward both left the ITV series in 2018.
Catherine Tyldesley and Shayne Ward in The Good Ship Murder. Viacom CBS/Channel 5
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Ward said that when he was given the role, he received a text from Tyldesley asking him to call her.
"And I just knew it," he said. "When I was leaving Coronation Street, we said, 'Wouldn't it be amazing to work together again?' We were like the universe is a wonderful thing and there's no doubt about it, we will somewhere, down the line, work together again."
Tyldesley added: "I couldn't believe it. Once I got the part, my agent said, 'Listen, I just need to let you know, Shayne Ward is the male lead – do you two get on?'
"And I was like, 'Do we get on?! We're the naughty kids at school that shouldn't be paired together!'"
And the experience was every bit as wonderful as they'd expected.
"I absolutely love being on screen with Cath, and what you see there is a genuine friendship," said Ward. "We have that chemistry, you can tell we've worked together before.
"It was such a thrill to be part of the journey with Cath. Honestly, I felt like it couldn't have been better."
Tyldesley echoed that: "It just worked. When you're comfortable with the person that you're playing alongside, the difference is huge, as you can imagine.
"It must be so awkward to be paired with somebody that you might not have chemistry with, or that you don't get on with, so I think it made everyone’s lives easier, the fact that we love working together."
She added: "And the characters are worlds apart from what we did in Corrie, so that was just such a real treat for us as actors."
The Good Ship Murder premieres on Channel 5 at 9pm on Friday 13th October 2023. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
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.
