McDonald & Dodds confirms season 4 air date on ITV

Filming on season 4 kicked off last year, with the first episode set to see the titular pair delve into the history of blues music and the shady world of art auctions in order to solve a case involving the death of a man on a bus.

Alongside Watkins and Gouveia, a number of other main cast members are back this time around, including Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) as Chief Superintendent Ormond and Charlie Chambers (EastEnders) as DC Goldie, while Bhavik C Pankhania (World On Fire) joins the cast in the new role of DC Lee.

And there's the usual spate of guest stars as well, with familiar faces set to appear in the new run including Lost in Space's Toby Stephens, Lydia Leonard (Gentleman Jack), Daniel Lapaine (Catastrophe), Dipo Ola (Landscapers), John Gordon Sinclair (Gregory’s Girl) and Ace Bhatti (Line of Duty).

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The season will consist of three feature-length episodes, each focusing on a different mystery, but although the format is the same as ever, star Gouveia has teased that fans can also expect something a little different this time.

"Now that we have the format, it’s fun to break it a little bit, which is what we do in the new series," she said in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine. "To keep bringing in young and hungry directors is really important."

Meanwhile, Watkins added: "The increasing scale and having big stars playing great characters is exciting. Our lovely relationship should always evolve and be stretched by the material."

McDonald & Dodds season 4 will begin on ITV1 on Sunday 21st July. Catch up on ITVX.

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