Midsomer Murders star explains "big challenge" for Holly Willoughby

Hendrix described her involvement in the episode as "hilarious and random" to RadioTimes.com, adding: "It was lovely, and she's a professional performer in some ways. She's had years of being on camera and therefore she was obviously brilliant."

But being an actor and hosting a daytime magazine show are two different propositions, which put Willoughby to the test.

"I know that for her the big challenge was learning lines rather than reading them, and also not looking at the camera as opposed to staring at the camera," he said.

"But she's a pro, and wonderful and lovely, and she's a big fan, so I think for her it was exciting to be there, and it was nice for us to have her there.

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"It's a bit of fun for us and a great thing for the fans."

Willoughby is playing herself rather than a character in the upcoming episode, which Hendrix initially thought was "quite strange", but it didn't take long for him to grasp the concept.

"There is this sort of line that Midsomer can cross, that there are certain things that can exist," he explained. "We talk about London and Brighton being real places, so while Midsomer is obviously fictional it sits somewhere within a world where those places exist as well.

"You can blur those lines a bit, and therefore having Holly was just, 'Why not?'"

In The Witches of Angel's Rise, a "body is found surrounded by ritual symbols" on the eve of the village's annual Psychic Fayre, which forces the detectives to "step into a world of self-proclaimed witches to find the killer".

Other guest stars include Tracy-Ann Oberman, Colin Salmon and Janine Duvitski.

Midsomer Murders: The Witches of Angel's Rise will air on Sunday 27th August at 8pm on ITV1. If you're looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide or take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage.

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