Comeback cops

ANOTHER Geordie giant of TV, Kevin Whately, makes a surprise return as the title character in spite of DS Robbie Lewis having taken retirement and gone off to build boats with his forensics sweetheart.

Whately has played the role on and off since 1987, and when Lewis retired from the Oxford City Police at the end of the last series there seemed to be no further room for detecting, particularly as his sidekick Hathaway (Laurence Fox) has quit the force because a suspect had committed suicide.

"Viewers have a great deal of respect for Inspector Lewis and a huge loyalty to Kevin Whately," says ITV's director of drama, Steve November. "Together with Laurence Fox, he has forged a formidable partnership and we're delighted to have them back on ITV."

Hathaway has been newly-promoted to DI but is making life hell for colleagues, especially DS Lizzie Maddock (Angela Griffin ready for a life among the dreaming spires) and Chief Superintendent Innocent (Rebecca Front) persuades Lewis to return to duty.

"Hathaway isn't coping too well, he hasn't got great people skills," explains Whately. "And Lewis isn't functioning too well in retirement. Lewis agrees to a year-long contract to work alongside Hathaway. To begin with there is a bit of friction because Hathaway takes it as a slight, but they soon settle back into the old routine."

The first episode of the new run focuses on the mysterious death of a neurosurgeon during a case involving arson at a hunting lodge. Kara Tointon stars as the dead man's glamorous widow, and suspicion immediately falls on her - until the police discover many others within their inner circle had motives for murder.

"It's been great working with Angela," Whately adds. "She brings a new energy to it, which is good. She's great to have on set. Nothing fazes her. Laurence tries his best but it doesn't work - she's got so many brothers that she's used to it."

The actor is giving little away beyond this six-part series and says: "It's a lovely atmosphere on set. We had a lot of fun filming this year. We all enjoy filming in Oxford very much. We work hard when we are there, but it's a lovely place to be."

Alan Carr: Chatty Man (C5, 10pm)

CARR welcomes guests Hugh Grant who stars in comedy movie The Rewrite plus Davina McCall, Doctor Christian Jessen and Noel Fielding to his sofa, while music is from Ariana Grande, who performs her latest single Break Free. Hugh Grant gave a hilarious interview on The Graham Norton Show last week, which is now being filmed up to two weeks before transmission. By that measure, and I can't see Mr Grant rewriting his diary to split two chats shows over a fortnight, this makes Alan Carr's up-to-the-minute chat at least three weeks old.

The Graham Norton Show (BBC1, 10.35pm)

Norton has moved on to John Cleese and Neil Diamond. Both are in their early seventies; they've both been married several times, and they both rose to fame in the early 1960s, one as a comedy writer and performer on shows like The Frost Report; the other as a song writer (at New York's Brill building) and later as a performer, with hits such as Sweet Caroline, Song Sung Blue and Crackling Rosie. Both are dropping into the studio to plug their respective projects.

Taylor Swift, 24, lowers the age level of interviewees just a tad, while controversial cricketer Kevin Pietersen is likely to provide another lively innings after slagging off the coaches and some teammates on Tuesday. Hopefully, he said the same things a fortnight ago.