ITV Grace star John Simm teases 'traumatic beginning' to new series

John Simm has hinted at a dramatic start for the fifth installment of ITV's Grace, premiering this Sunday (6 April).

Appearing on The One Show this past Friday (4 April), actor John Simm spilled details about the forthcoming season of Grace, where he reprises his role as the eponymous Roy Grace.

He gave viewers a sneak peek into season five, revealing a "bit further in time" kick-off for the storyline, which sees the devastating loss of a baby by Roy and Cleo Morey, portrayed by Zoe Tapper.

"It's a little bit further in time and sadly you discover that Roy and Cleo have lost their baby so it's a pretty traumatic start," John divulged during his appearance on the BBC One programme.

Continuing, he disclosed: "They are also dealing with a son that they didn't know they had, who I think from the end of last series they confronted the hospital so they are dealing with that, so it's quite a traumatic beginning."

Season Five promises four feature-length episodes inspired by Peter James' novels: Dead If You Don't, Dead At First Sight, Need You Dead, and Find Them Dead, with diverse directors taking the helm of each.

Celebrated author Peter James could barely contain his thrill over the new series of Grace, exclaiming in an ITV release: "When the first episode of Grace aired in 2021, it was a dream come true. It is both heartening and astounding to me that we're already at series five!

"The continued success of Grace is a testament to the outstanding cast headed by John Simm, and crew and, equally importantly, the fans, who have loved and devoted their time to these characters both on the page and now the screen. It is also a testament to just how faithfully ITV has adhered to both the characters and stories in the novels."

While John is set to reprise his role as Roy, we can also confirm the return of Richie Campbell as DS Glenn Branson, Zoe Tapper as Cleo Morey, Laura Elphinstone as DS Bella Moy, and Brad Morrison as DC Nick Nicholl, reports .

Furthermore, Sam Hoare will reappear as ACC Cassian Pewe, although Craig Parkinson's character, DS Norman Potting, will not be featured in the fifth season. Juliette Motamed is set to step into the shoes of the new character DS Vee Wilde.

Additionally, Finn Guegan joins the cast as Bruno, the son of DS Grace.

Grace begins airing on ITV1 on Sunday, April 6 at 8pm.