STOCKTON-BORN Stephen Tompkinson is about to reacquaint us with workaholic detective Alan Banks, in the fourth series of the gritty ITV crime drama DCI Banks, which sees the sleuth hit by more personal tragedies.

Those with sharp eyes will also have seen Tompkinson pop up as Brian, who he dubs "an insane pharmacist with delusions of grandeur", in the Sky 1 supermarket comedy Trollied.

"Between Brian and Alan Banks, there's me in the middle, staying sane," says the 49-year-old.

The Leeds-set series is based on author Peter Robinson's internationally successful Inspector Banks novels, and when he started playing the role, in 2010, Tompkinson went to meet Robinson, who was born in Yorkshire and now lives in Canada.

"Very wisely, at the height of the Canadian winter, he goes to thaw out in Tampa, Florida, which is where I met him for three days and put loads of questions to him," says Tompkinson.

The six-part series features the death of Banks' mother (played by Polly Hemingway) and his struggle to come to terms with the end of his romance with colleague Annie (Andrea Lowe), and a personal crisis which will threaten the career of DI Helen Morton (Doc Martin's star Caroline Catz).

"Leeds is becoming a real home-from-home for me. It's a lovely place to film. In Yorkshire we are spoilt with a variety of locations. That's the beauty of it. It can be a cosmopolitan city crime or something shot in the country side against a dramatic backdrop. It really adds to the drama as a whole," says Tompkinson about the benefits of filming in the North.

"We've a great action sequence in the second story on Conisbrough Viaduct with about six vehicles and two police helicopters, which was all very dramatic. And then on top of Ilkley Moor for the last one in 70mph winds. It's all glamour."

The series also explores Banks' estranged relationship with his father, Arthur, played by Keith Barron.

"Banks' mother sadly passes away. It comes completely out the blue for him and his father. Banks' brother was also killed in the second series so now it's only him and his father left. Their relationship isn't the easier. They have to deal with the shock of losing her while trying to look after each other. At this time in his life he has to think about what he's going to do, and who he's going to end up with," says Tompkinson.

The first of three paired episodes opens with the murder of a young Estonian woman who appears to have been buried alive after travelling to Castleford to track down her wayward sister, who had been reported missing.

The Great Comic Relief Bake Off (BBC1, 8pm)

WE'RE guaranteed a few laughs because big personalities Victoria Wood, Chris Moyles, Alexa Chung - who admits to keeping shoes in her oven - and Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak are heading into the tent. They tackle a tray-bake, rustle up a dozen crumpets and get creative with a vegetable cake that they are told must also double as a self-portrait.

There will no doubt be banter among the contestants, and attempts to impress each other, but at the end of the day, the only people they need to be worrying about impressing are judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

The People's Strictly for comic Relief (BBC1, 9pm)

ANNA Kennedy, who was born and raised in Middlesbrough, makes her first appearance when, seated in the front row,of a live Strictly audience, she is picked out by Jake Wood to escort him onto the dance floor. She's completely unaware of being nominated for the amateur version of the popular show which recognises her determination to create a school for autistic children.

"I've been giving the mums and dads who follow me on Twitter tasters of what I've been doing. They're living the experience with me," she says.

Viv Hardwick