ITV crime drama fans give their verdict after ‘one of the best shows ever’ returns

This hugely popular crime drama is back for a sixth series (Picture: Sally Mais)

Warning: spoilers ahead for series 5 of Grace.

Crime drama fans are raving about the return of the hugely popular ITV series Grace,

On Sunday night, the sixth season of Grace premiered, with John Simm reprising the titular role of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace.

Set in Brighton and Hove, the drama, which began in 2021, follows the cop as he investigates a variety of cold cases, haunted by the disappearance of his beloved wife, Sandy, six years ago. Despite giving his life to the job, he still struggles to let go of the past.

Grace is based on the bestselling novels by Peter James and has been adapted for the small screen by critically acclaimed writer Russell Lewis. 

It’s been a huge success since its debut, initially attracting over seven million viewers, allowing it to return five more times.

And it seems the hype is yet to die down, as viewers have lauded the new series already, declaring Simm’s performance ‘excellent’.

John Simm reprises the titular role in Grace (Picture: Sally Mais)

Taking to X, @bhaynes190 wrote: ‘John Simm is a ridiculously underrated actor’.

‘Wonderful to have @ITV#Grace back on my telly. Excellent 1st episode of the new series’, added @SteveRBelieve, while @superpidge said the programme is ‘always so tense’ and ‘edge of the seat stuff’.

@kirstie1971 called Grace’s return the ‘highlight of the weekend’, and @RACNOAPOLOGIES compared it to two other legendary shows: ‘#Grace deserves its status as arguably the country’s flagship 2-hour detective drama in the way Frost & Vera were. If it gets me watching after six series, it’s doing the job.’

@northolt3103 further branded it ‘one of the best shows on TV’, and @DanJBrownMUFC praised the ‘powerful opening episode’.

Although it seems DS Grace has his work cut out with others, as some viewers thought the storyline was ‘unrealistic’ and ‘predictable’, but there’s certainly plenty of time for opinions to change.

Who is in the Grace cast?

Series 6 welcomes back new faces, as well as a string of guest stars (Picture: Sally Mais)

Along with Simm, 55, who is best known for playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars, Grace also welcomes back Richie Campbell, 43, as Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson.

Other returning cast members include Zoë Tapper as Cloe Moray, Laura Elphinstone as DS Bella Moy, Brad Morrison as DC Nick Nicholl, and Finn Geugan as Bruno.

As for fresh faces, guest stars of series 6 are Rishi Nair as local businessman Neel Siddique, whose wife, Eden, goes missing, Hannah McClean as Rebecca Langley, Eden’s best friend, and Gurjeet Singh as Devan, Neel’s brother.

Speaking ahead of the latest outing, Simm said: ‘This is the longest I’ve been involved in any show!

‘But it’s such a joy to do, and to be surrounded by a team like this for large chunks of the year makes it impossible to turn down.

‘I’m really looking forward to seeing where Roy’s journey goes in this series.’

What happened in series 5?

Richie Campbell plays DS Branson in the hit show (Picture: Sally Mais)

The plot of the new series follows on from series 5’s revelation that Grace’s boss and rival, Assistant Chief Constable Cassian Pewe (Sam Hoare), was corrupt. He’d also been having an affair with Sandy (Clare Calbraith) before she disappeared.

Belonging to the organised crime group Benchdale, which framed Grace when his wife went missing, the bent copper actually knew that Sandy was still alive, having helped her hide. This allowed him to point the finger in Grace’s direction, pretending to be the good guy.

Last series, we also saw him murder psychiatrist Hannah Belling, who was aware of his double life and threatened to expose his secrets that had spanned the whole show.

Ultimately, his crimes did come to light, and he was arrested at the end of the series.

However, even from behind bars, Pewe continued his torment, revealing details of Sandy’s final days and telling Grace that she was murdered by the Benchdale group due to her huge gambling debts. In series 4, viewers were led to believe she died by suicide.

Twisting the knife further, he told Grace that his son, Bruno, was also being targeted, as the gang still consider his late mother’s debts unpaid.

Cassian Pewe’s crimes are set to unravel further in series 6 (Picture: ITV)

The fallout of the confession is set to unravel in series 6, as audiences wait to find out whether Grace can save his son, all of which he must contend with while solving his usual cases.

‘As the series progresses, Grace realises that for the sake of his family, he must pursue the truth about Sandy’s murder and unearth old wounds in order to see justice done,’ a synopsis teases. ‘But this journey comes with truly devastating consequences for Roy.’

What else happens in series 6?

Elsewhere in the upcoming episodes, the show will stray from the books, with one episode described as a ‘writer/producer-led story’, taking on the topic of women’s safety, set on a university campus.

‘It’s a very sombre and important issue, and something that is sadly, very relevant,’ said executive producer Phil Hunter when asked about the episode.

‘We worked with Caroline Carver on that story, and I think it was to make sure that, as a topic, it fit within the kind of vernacular of the show.’

He added that the episode ‘gives the young women and the students in this storyline agency and a voice in it all, to the point where they become instrumental in terms of catching the killer at the end of the day’.

‘So it was really important, because ultimately you’ve got to do that with great sensitivity. I hope, and I feel like we’ve done that.’

When is Grace on?

Following its two-hour first episode, the sixth series of Grace continues on Sunday nights at 8pm, taking over the slot from Gone.

Episodes will then be available to stream on ITVX.

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