Stephen Tompkinson and Andrea Lowe are back as the tenacious and stubborn detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and the feisty and headstrong DS Annie Cabbott in stories adapted from the best selling novels of award-winning international crime writer Peter Robinson.

They are joined by Lorraine Burroughs (Lip Service, Identity), Jack Deam (The Street, Shameless), Tom Shaw (Doctors, The Inbetweeners) and Colin Tierney (Nowhere Boy, Cracker). Guest cast members include John Bowe (Silent Witness, Coronation Street), Tamzin Merchant (Jayne Eyre, The Tudors), and John Light (Silk, Dresden).

Last screening

DCI Banks: Aftermath debuted on ITV1 on 27th September 2010 with the second part screening on 4 October. The consolidated figures for the first episode achieved 6.7m / 25% share with the second instalment gaining in viewers and reaching 6.9m / 24% share according to BARB/TNS.

New series

Six episodes – 3 stories each told over two episodes have been adapted from Peter Robinson’s novels – Playing with Fire, Friend of the Devil and Cold as the Grave – DCI Banks will be produced by Stephen Smallwood with Andy Harries and Francis Hopkinson as executive producers. With stories crammed with twists and surprises and intriguing, intricate plots, Playing with Fire and Cold as the Grave have been adapted by Robert Murphy and Friend of the Devil has been adapted by Laurence Davey. Each story will draw upon Robinson’s well-constructed plotlines and skill in creating memorable characters.

In Playing with Fire two bodies are found after a fire on some narrow boats and Banks and DS Annie Cabbot find themselves on the trail of an arsonist who has killed two people.

In Friend of the Devil a young student is attacked in the middle of the city and in another part of Yorkshire a woman has her throat cut, but the two different murders have disturbing similarities.

Cold is the Grave is a case terrifyingly close to home as Banks is asked by his boss, Chief Superintendent Gerry Rydell, to find his missing teenage daughter…

Production

The new episodes based on the DCI Banks stories have been commissioned for ITV by Director of Drama commissioning, Laura Mackie and Controller of Drama Commissioning Sally Haynes.

“DCI Banks launched really strongly and already feels like a great new addition to our roster of crime dramas. We're looking forward to bringing a full series to ITV1 later this year," said Sally

Executive Producer Francis Hopkinson, added: "We're delighted that so many people enjoyed Stephen Tompkinson as Inspector Banks and with three more brilliant novels to work from I'm certain that viewers will look forward to returning to Yorkshire in 2011."

Writer Peter Robinson is equally as delighted with the decision to commission a series:

"I was thrilled to hear that the DCI Banks pilot was a great success and that Left Bank Pictures and ITV are going ahead with a series of three more adaptations of my novels. You can only do so much in one two hour adaptation of one novel, so I hope this will give everyone a chance to build on the success they have already had and make DCI Banks a staple of prime time ITV series for years to come."

ITV’s DCI Banks starring Stephen Tompkinson & Andrea Lowe

DCI Banks and DS Annie Cabbott investigate vicious murders

Starring Stephen Tompkinson, Andrea Lowe, Lorraine Burroughs, Colin Tierney, Jack Deam, Tom Shaw & John Light.

Photograph of Stephen Tompkinson who plays DCI Banks

The DVD for this series will be available once it has aired.