The Good Ship Murder stars open up on Claire Sweeney's replacement

Claire Sweeney starred in season 1 as Beverley, the cruise director, but due to Sweeney's scheduling conflicts with Coronation Street, the actress won't be appearing in season 2.

However, she has been replaced by Hollyoaks star Ross Adams, who is a "hilarious" addition to the cast, according to series stars Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldesley.

Having both worked on Coronation Street themselves, the actors know all too well what it's like to be engrossed in a major soapy storyline, and spoke of Sweeney's departure to RadioTimes.com and other press.

Ward said: "To lose Claire was sad for us all. But hopefully not for good. We know that she's deep in the scripts for Coronation Street, and me and Cath have been there.

"We know when you're involved in such big storylines, you're going to be committed to that. So there's always room [for her to come back]. And she’s such a great character as well for the show, that she is missed."

Speaking about Adams joining the cast, Ward continued: "But the great thing about Ross coming in as well is the way that he plays his character is completely opposite [to Claire’s], they’re not playing the same character.

"So it's exciting that if Claire chooses that she wants to come back, and we really hope that she does, it'd be a great storyline for herself and Ross, who is the [new] boss.

"Ross has come in and he's a great actor and he’s just really embodied that character. And you can see that he's going to be instantly loved on the ship."

Tyldesley added: "Ross brings the camp and then some. He’s hilarious. I'd watch it just for his run. The run that he does across the ship is everything."

But fans will just have to wait that little bit longer for Adams to be introduced to the cast, as he's set to appear in the second season of The Good Ship Murder and was not in the Christmas episode.

The Good Ship Murder returns for season 2 on Friday 10th January.

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