Shelley Conn, Natalie Gumede, Sharon Rooney and John Thomson join the cast of ITV’s McDonald & Dodds

Shelley Conn, Natalie Gumede, Sharon Rooney and John Thomson join the cast of ITV’s McDonald & Dodds

Shelley Conn, Natalie Gumede, Sharon Rooney and John Thomson, have joined the cast for the second film of ITV’s McDonald & Dodds, alongside leading actors Jason Watkins and Tala Gouveia.

Filming is underway on the second series of the contemporary detective drama following the success of the feature-length films which aired earlier this year on ITV, produced by leading independent production company, Mammoth Screen, an ITV Studios company. 

The new series sees Tala Gouveia (Cold Feet) and BAFTA award winning actor  Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies, The Crown) reprise their roles as the smart and ambitious DCI McDonald and the humble, and quietly brilliant DS Dodds in three new murder mysteries. They are joined in the second film by guest cast members Shelley Conn (Liar), Natalie Gumede (Strike), Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary) and John Thomson (Cold Feet).

Returning cast includes James Murray as Chief Superintendent Houseman, Jack Riddiford as DC Darren Craig with Lily Sacofsky joining as DC Milena Pachiorkowski.

Set in picturesque Bath, the series pairs feisty DCI McDonald, who has recently transferred from London’s Met Police, with the unassuming DS Dodds, who has been happy in the background for most of his working life. To McDonald’s surprise they form an unexpectedly effective crime solving partnership.

The second film, entitled We Need To Talk About Doreen, stars Sharon Rooney as Doreen, part of a group who have travelled to Bath for the weekend to celebrate their friend Angela’s (Joy McAvoy) birthday. Whilst out on the town celebrating, Doreen, Angela, Hilary (Shelley Conn), Melissa (Maya Coates) and Cath (Kat Ronney) get chatting to some players from the Bath Eagles Rugby Club, including its strapping new signing Dominique Aubert (Tomos Gwynfryn). They are invited to a party thrown by rugby club chairman Jimmy (John Thomson) at his home and happily attend with other members of the rugby team and Dominique Aubert’s agent Deborah (Natalie Gumede).

But the following morning, as most of the party are nursing their hangovers, the body of one guest is discovered near a railway tunnel and McDonald & Dodds are called in to investigate.

Robert Murphy, creator and executive producer, has written the first two films with Kam Odedra (Gangs of London) writing the third. Directors are Alex Pillai (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Rebecca Rycroft (Malory Towers) and Ian Aryeh (In The Long Run) McDonald & Dodds will once again be filmed in the West Country.

The new series has been commissioned by ITV’s Drama Commissioner Huw Kennair Jones and Head of Drama, Polly Hill.  Huw will oversee production of the drama from the channel’s perspective.

Damien Timmer (Endeavour, Poldark) and Preethi Mavahalli (Noughts + Crosses, The War of the Worlds) are the executive producers for Mammoth Screen, an ITV Studios company, alongside writer Robert Murphy (Vera, Shetland, DCI Banks). The producer of the new series is Sarah Lewis (Noughts + Crosses, Victoria).

The first series is available to view via streaming platform Britbox.  Series one launched with a consolidated rating of 6.4m and a 26% share of the available audience and boasted an impressive guest cast list alongside Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins which included Robert Lindsay, Rosalie Craig, Ellie Kendrick, Susannah Fielding, Joanna Scanlan, Michele Dotrice, Freddie Fox and Hugh Dennis.

McDonald & Dodds is a co-production with Britbox US and is distributed internationally by ITV Studios

Notes to editors

Mammoth Productions for McDonald & Dodds are adhering to the TV and film production industry-wide guidelines published in May and the guidance developed by all UK broadcasters, the Association of Commercial Broadcasters and On-Demand Service (COBA) and Pact covering how pairs and small groups of actors can interact closer than two metres safely on set. This guidance is also complementary to the British Film Commission guidelines on managing the risks with film and high-end TV drama production.

The new health and safety measures implemented to ensure filming on high-end dramas can resume include regular coronavirus testing of cast and crew and temperature checking before filming. Social distancing will be adhered to by crew members, and the actors and production teams will observe closed cohort guidelines which limits contact with other individuals whilst filming. COVID Supervisors will also be employed on set to ensure health and safety protocols are adhered to.

Camera and sound equipment will be fully sanitised at the end of each filming day and make-up will be applied by technicians wearing full PPE. Hand sanitisation facilities have also been installed for frequent hand washing and crews will wear masks throughout filming.