| Grace | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Based on | Roy Grace novels by Peter James |
| Written by | Russell Lewis |
| Directed by |
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| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Kiaran Murray-Smith |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 14 March 2021 (2021-03-14) – present |
Grace is a British television crime drama series, based in the English city of Brighton and Hove, that stars John Simm in the title role of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a dogged detective who, haunted by the disappearance of his wife some years previously, solves a variety of cases.[1]
The series, based on the bestselling novels by novelist Peter James,[2] was adapted by acclaimed screenwriter Russell Lewis, with a pair of films, comprising the novels Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead, filmed in 2020 for broadcast in 2021.[3][failed verification] "Dead Simple", broadcast in March 2021, attracted an estimated 7.2m viewers, which made it the fifth-most-watched programme for the week of 8–14 March, according to BARB.[4]
Following strong viewing figures for the opening episode, a second series of three films was then commissioned in 2021, with broadcasting beginning in May 2022.[5] A third series was subsequently commissioned in 2022, with filming beginning in August 2022 and broadcasting starting in March 2023.[6]
The first series was predominantly filmed in Brighton and Hove; however, location filming also took place in Sussex,[7] particularly around the border between East and West Sussex.[8] The first episode, Dead Simple, was shifted forward in the schedules by a week, originally set to air on 21 March.[9] This was to avoid a clash with the launch of the sixth series of the BBC's Line of Duty. Subsequently, this led to the decision to postpone Looking Good Dead until a later date.[10][11][12] Subsequently, when the first series aired in the United States, it meant that Looking Good Dead was available to stream for more than a year before its British broadcast.
In May 2021, Grace was commissioned for a second series. Filming began in September 2021 in the West Sussex town of Burgess Hill. The second series adapts the next three novels in the Grace series, Not Dead Enough, Dead Man's Footsteps and Dead Tomorrow. Broadcasting of the second series commenced in the UK on 24 April 2022, with Looking Good Dead as the opening episode.[13]
A third series was subsequently commissioned in May 2022, adapted from the novels Dead Like You, Dead Man's Grip and Not Dead Yet. For this series, Russell Lewis stepped down as showrunner and principal writer, with former Whitechapel writers Ben Court & Caroline Ip penning two episodes, and prolific screenwriter Ed Whitmore penning the other. The series also features Sam Hoare as a new ACC, following the departure of Rakie Ayola at the end of series two.[14]
In April 2023, Simm confirmed via Instagram that Grace would return for a fourth series with four episodes in 2024, and in 2024 a fifth series, also of four episodes, was confirmed for airing in 2025.
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 1 | 14 March 2021 (2021-03-14) | 14 March 2021 (2021-03-14) | |
| 2 | 4 | 24 April 2022 (2022-04-24) | 22 May 2022 (2022-05-22) | |
| 3 | 3 | 19 March 2023 (2023-03-19) | 2 April 2023 (2023-04-02) | |
| 4 | 4 | TBC 2024 | TBC 2024 | |
| 5 | 4 | TBC 2025 | TBC 2025 | |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [15] | UK viewers (millions) [16] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dead Simple" | John Alexander | Russell Lewis | 14 March 2021 (2021-03-14) | 7.27[17](#5) | |
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A group of friends on a stag night are involved in a road accident and are killed except the groom, a wealthy Brighton property developer who has vanished. Detective Superintendent Grace is called upon by colleague Detective Sergeant Branson to help. The search and investigation uncover lines of inquiry which involve his bride and his best friend and business partner.
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| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [15] | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Looking Good Dead" | Julia Ford | Russell Lewis | 4 May 2021 (2021-05-04) (United States) 24 April 2022 (2022-04-24) (United Kingdom) | 4.91 (#8) | |
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When parts of a young woman's body are discovered on the Downs, Grace believes the murder is connected to two prior killings involving sex-drug overdoses. Meanwhile, a local businessman stumbles upon a memory stick containing an access key to a dark-Web snuff site, where he witnesses the woman's murder, and the shadowy operators of the site warn him not to go to the police, or his family will suffer.
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| 2 | "Not Dead Enough" | Brian Kelly | Russell Lewis | 1 May 2022 (2022-05-01) | 5.06 (#4) | |
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When businesswoman Katya Bishop is brutally murdered, all the evidence points to her businessman husband, Kit (Arthur Darvill), especially when his girlfriend is also found dead in a similar manner. The only problem being, Kit has a solid alibi for both murders - so how could he possibly be in two places at once? Meanwhile, Grace becomes friendly with new forensic pathologist, Cleo Moray (Zoe Tapper), but their relationship gets off to a bumpy start when she becomes the latest target of a hitman following every moment of Grace and his team. Could Kit Bishop be connected? And if so, will Grace manage to stop him before he commits any further crimes?
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| 3 | "Dead Man's Footsteps" | Brian Kelly | Russell Lewis | 8 May 2022 (2022-05-08) | 5.12 (#3) | |
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The discovery of skeletal remains in a Brighton storm drain and a young girl being hunted by an armed hitman appear to be unconnected, until the two cases unexpectedly collide in the most unimaginable way. Meanwhile, a former colleague of Grace's from the Met, Cassian Pewe (James D'Arcy) has been sent down to assist the team, and immediately sets about re-opening the investigation into the disappearance of Grace's wife. As the two come to loggerheads, it soon becomes a battle of wills as old enemies must unite to save Abby Morton (Katie Clarkson-Hill) and her elderly mother from those desperate to recover a sheet of priceless stamps.
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| 4 | "Dead Tomorrow" | Kate Saxon | Russell Lewis | 22 May 2022 (2022-05-22) | 5.03 (#6) | |
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When an unidentified Jane Doe is dredged up from the seabed of the English channel, Grace and his team are led into the murky world of an organised crime group masterminded by fixer Julia Giroux (Joséphine de La Baume) and corrupt quack Roger Gunnislake (Stephen Boxer), who are harvesting the organs of illegal immigrants for private sale. The disappearance of a local fishing trawler used in the dredging proves to be a vital clue in cracking the case. Privately, things appear to be going well for Grace, until he receives a call from a former colleague who claims to have information that appears to suggest that Sandy may still be alive.
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| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [15] | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dead Like You" | John Alexander | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 19 March 2023 (2023-03-19) | 5.63 (#4) | |
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A chilling event at the Royal Edward Hotel on the night of ACC Vosper's leaving party forces Grace into a difficult position.
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| 2 | "Dead Man's Grip" | Isher Sahota | Ed Whitmore | 26 March 2023 (2023-03-26) | 5.77 (#4) | |
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At the site of a tragic road traffic collision an unexpected discovery suggests more to the case than meets the eye.
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| 3 | "Not Dead Yet" | William Sinclair | Ben Court & Caroline Ip | 2 April 2023 (2023-04-02) | 5.38 (#4) | |
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The team splits to investigate a shocking attack on the music scene and a gruesome discovery on a pig farm.
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The series was broadcast from 2 July 2024 on BritBox in the United States. It will be broadcast on ITV1 later in 2024.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [15] | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dead Man's Time" | Brian Kelly | Ed Whitmore | 2 July 2024 (2024-07-02) | TBD |
| 2 | "Want You Dead" | Bille Eltringham | TBA | 9 July 2024 (2024-07-09) | TBD |
| 3 | "You Are Dead" | Dan Zeff | TBA | 16 July 2024 (2024-07-16) | TBD |
| 4 | "Love You Dead" | Kate Saxon | TBA | 23 July 2024 (2024-07-23) | TBD |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [15] | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Need You Dead" | TBD | TBD | 2025 (2025) | TBD |
| 2 | "Dead If You Don’t" | TBD | TBD | 2025 (2025) | TBD |
| 3 | "Dead At First Sight" | TBD | TBD | 2025 (2025) | TBD |
| 4 | "Find Them Dead" | TBD | TBD | 2025 (2025) | TBD |
| Season | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | 31 August 2022[18] |
| 1–2 | 30 May 2022[19] | — |
