Murder, They Hope: Three-part whodunit caper starring Sian Gibson and Johnny Vegas continues

​The three-part whodunit caper starring Sian Gibson and Johnny Vegas continues, following the pair’s adventures in Murder on the Blackpool Express, Death on the Tyne, and Dial M for Middlesborough.

This second edition of Murder, They Hope sees hapless private investigators Gemma (Gibson) and Terry (Vegas) find another plot thickening on their turf.

Gemma’s sister Monica (Sarah Hadland of Miranda fame) is starring in an amateur theatre company’s production of Romeo and Juliet, which is being sponsored by the town’s local bakers.

Unfortunately, somebody is poisoning the bakery’s products – and lives are now at risk, with Shakespeare’s famous play threatening to turn into a real-life tragedy.

Paul Whitehouse pops up in the episode, hilariously titled “Evil Under the Bun”, making him the latest in a long line of guest stars and celeb cameos to join in the fun. Previous iterations have seen the likes of Phil Davis, Joanna Page, Mike Wozniak, Griff Rhys Jones, Nigel Havers and Mark Heap appear alongside the regulars.

Gibson, who describes her character as “Like a poor man’s Stefanie Powers from Hart To Hart”, puts the series’ ability to attract British comedy talent down to one thing: “It’s the catering. We are known throughout the industry for soups of the day!”

This may be the terrestrial premiere of writer Jason Cook’s comedy, but keen-eyed viewers might be experiencing deja vu – the show has previously aired on the digital channel GOLD. In fact, as it premiered in 2021, much of the episode was filmed around the Covid lockdowns with restrictions in place, which makes the comedic performances all the more impressive.

Gibson told British Comedy Guide that it was a case of “Masks on, masks off, two-metre rules, Covid tests… it definitely felt very strange with all the strict protocols on set, and I was just dying to hug everyone.

“Despite that, I felt very lucky to be working … as so many of my friends [had] lost their jobs or been furloughed during the pandemic. So I felt extremely grateful to be in work and having a really good laugh with my friends.”

The sense of fun comes across in the finished product. And the best news is, we already know the series will continue – series two went out on GOLD in 2022, while a Christmas Special (“Blood Actually”, featuring Jane Horrocks and Martin Kemp) aired last December. A further Christmas special for this year has also been ordered, so there will be no anxious wait to see whether it will be renewed.

But before all that, next week’s series one finale sees Lee Mack return, alongside guests including Hannah Waddingham and Jason Manford in “Dales of the Unexpected”, which will find Gemma and Terry back on the road doing what they do best: running a coach tour. Which, naturally, we expect to go wrong in spectacular – and deadly – fashion.