Prepare to be plunged into the murky world of drug smuggling, the occult and a mysterious cold case dating back 20 years in Van Der Valk season 3.
Dutch detective Commissaris Piet Van Der Valk (Marc Warren) and his colleague Inspector Lucienne Hassell (Maimie McCoy) are back to solve three new compelling cases as the ITV series returns, and the first case sees them investigating the murder of a world champion Freerunner who is murdered in very dramatic circumstances.
"It’s great to be back for a third series and brilliant to have some new faces on the team," smiles Marc who is joined this season by two new recruits in the shape of super-keen young Sergeants, Eddie Suleman (Azan Ahmed) and Citra Li (Django Chan-Reeves).
What To Watch caught up with Marc and his co-star Maimie to talk case notes and hear why Piet’s love life is more complicated than ever!
What can you tell us about the intriguing cases the team is going to be tackling in this series?
Marc: "In the first one we uncover how a group of Freerunners is linked to drug smuggling and in episode two we’re investigating a historic murder which I really enjoyed because it’s the first time we’ve done a cold case on the show. It’s a murder dating back 20 years when Piet used to work in Rotterdam and it comes back to haunt him because of a conviction he had at the time."
Maimie: "The last case delves into the world of the occult and magic and is a very difficult one for Lucienne because it takes quite a personal turn. We get a reveal of something of her past and her family background and it really shakes her."
Talking of personal turns, what is going on in their respective love lives this season?
Marc: "In the last series Piet was in a relationship with Lina. He opened his heart to her and was ready to move things forward but then she announced she was getting married! He was devastated. So that’s where we pick things up this time. We see Piet coming face to face with her at the hospital where she’s working as a doctor but it’s a pretty frosty encounter. Loes Haverkort who plays Lina is brilliant."
Maimie: "As far as Lucienne’s love life goes, she was pretty shaken up at the end of season two with the return of her ex-girlfriend. We see glimpses of her personal life this time and I’d say she’s in a happier place and there’s a new confidence to her."
What can you tell us about your new team members?
Maimie: "It’s great having Azan and Django there (playing detectives Eddie Suleman and Citra Li), they’ve very young and they bring a nice spring in their step! It’s also great to have another woman on the team with Lucienne and it creates a nice shift in dynamics."
Marc: "Azan who plays Eddie is incredibly gifted physically. He could have actually played one of the freerunners himself in episode one. He can jump off roofs and all kinds of things. I have trouble stepping off a kerb! We immediately bonded and discovered a bizarre connection. Azan has the same birthday as me, March 20 and was born at 8.30 am in the morning, exactly the same as me but precisely 30 years later!"
The stories are intense, do you manage to have fun together when you’re not shooting?
Maimie: "Yes, we have a lot of fun off set. I can’t tell you what we chat about because we’re usually discussing the appalling state of our love lives! We’re very, very silly like a couple of school kids. And if there’s waiting around when the crew is setting up, Marc likes making videos."
Marc: "Maimie’s my pal and my confidante. We sit and chat about a right load of rubbish and I make these little videos every year just for the cast and crew and put them to music."
Maimie: "We had lots of slo-mo shots this time of Lina and I on hospital chairs, spinning around and then walking up and down corridors looking moody."
You are so familiar with the city now, what do you like to do on your days off and have you got any favourite spots?
Marc: "Amsterdam is such a beautiful city. I enjoy going running along the canals and I started cycling this time too. I love bikes because they give you a tremendous sense of freedom. I used to have a Grifter as a teenager. But I struggled with the one I got given in Amsterdam because you had to backpedal to stop. I couldn't get the hang of it and with everyone bombing around I thought, "This is really dangerous, I’m going to end up in the river, I need brakes!”
Maimie: "I love swimming in the River Amstel on my days off. I’ve got a favourite little spot where I go from April to July. Then there’s also a fabulous 1920s naked sauna that I love going to. I say naked, in Amsterdam it’s just a sauna but to British people who are terrified of taking their clothes off it’s a ‘naked’ sauna! Those are my two secret spots. Amsterdam has become my second home!"
Van Der Valk season 3 starts on Sunday, June 18, at 8 pm on ITV1.
