'I was ill that day so it was nice doing scenes with my mum because there was an extra bit of sympathy!' smiles Burke. Meanwhile, Tom Burke’s real-life mum, actor Anna Calder-Marshall ( The Third Day), also appears. The Take’s Kierston Wareing returns in flashback as Strike's mum, and Tin Star's Abigail Lawrie will also guest star as Margot alongside Dead Ringers’ Phil Cornwell, The Comic Strip’s Daniel Peacock, Unforgotten’s Ruth Sheen, Avenue 5’s Syrus Lowe, A Boy Called Christmas' Carol MacReady, Blasts from the Past’s Genevieve Hulme-Beaman and Lost’s Fionnula Flanagan is Margot's friend Oona. Kenneth Cranham ( Hatton Garden) also stars as serial killer Dennis Creed, along with Cherie Lunghi ( Unforgotten) and Robin Askwith ( The Madame Blanc Mysteries). They were great and they packed in so much emotion.' I’ve known them for years, which made it even more meaningful. 'Working with Linda and Ian was wonderful. 'His aunt is ill and it’s about their relationship and recognising that she was a mother to him,' reveals Burke. (Image credit: BBC) Who guest stars?Ī host of well-known faces feature in the new series, including Linda Bassett ( Call the Midwife) as Strike's ailing aunt Joan, while Coronation Street's Ian Redford is back as his uncle Ted. Joan (Linda Bassett) gives nephew Strike cause for concern in Strike - Troubled Blood. The Bastard Executioner’s Sarah Sweeney also returns, as Strike’s sister Lucy, along with Game of Thrones’ Ben Crompton as his friend Shanker and The Swarm ’ s Jack Greenlees as business associate Sam Barclay. They’re destined for one another but if they get together too soon it’d never work because they’ve still got a lot to deal with.' There’s so much on the line, it almost seems impossible. But there’s more at stake for them if they make the first move now, it becomes harder for it to happen because of the business and their love for each other as partners and friends. 'Part of the reason we love Robin and Strike is that idea of will they-won’t they,' says Grainger. She is also facing some unwanted attention and is trying to sort out her feelings for Strike. But Robin has this strong sense of anger about injustice to women and so this case really speaks to her and she wants to get to the bottom of it.' Which cast members are returning for Strike – Troubled Blood?Īlong with Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, the new series will also see Kerr Logan ( Showtrial) back as Robin’s ex, Matthew, from whom she is in the process of getting a divorce.

So many people involved have disappeared themselves or died and many lines of enquiry are dead ends - literally.

Neither of them is expecting to actually solve the case. They feel close to Margot by the end and want to know what’s happened to her,' adds Grainger.

I think they’ve taken it on for the personal story of Anna losing her mum and wanting to do right by her. There are a lot of suspicious people lurking in the shadows and Strike and Robin end up going to a lot of different places, following their noses,' Burke tells What to Watch. 'Strike is approached by Anna Phipps, whose mother Margot went missing many years before and the case has never been solved. In the process, they come across intriguing links to tarot cards, a notorious serial killer and some very shady suspects… The series begins with Strike on holiday in Cornwall, where he is visiting his family, but he is stunned when a woman asks him to help search for her mother, Margot Bamborough, who disappeared in 1974.ĭespite Strike and Robin being busy at their detective agency with a range of taxing cases, they take on the cold case investigation. (Image credit: BBC) Strike – Troubled Blood plot Strike (Tom Burke) and Robin (Holliday Grainger) have a dark case to solve in Strike - Troubled Blood.

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