ITV takes surprise decision to axe its best crime drama

McDonald & Dodds, arguably ITV's most entertaining crime drama of recent times, has been surprisingly axed by the broadcaster.

ITV has decided to end the show, which starred Jason Watkins and Tala Gouveia as Bath detectives, due to the ratings not being high enough for further series. The news ironically comes the day after it was revealed Tala will be guest-starring in the new series of Death in Paradise. An ITV spokesperson confirmed the news to Radio Time, saying the latest series didn't meet the threshold for a recommission. Fans will be hoping that another broadcaster will step in to save the show, although that seems unlikely at this stage.

It's a shame because McDonald & Dodds was a hugely fun show and four seasons are available to watch now on ITVX if you’ve not seen them.

Tala Gouveia as DCI McDonald and Jason Watkins as DS Dodds are great fun together. DCI McDonald is introduced as a high-flying type who's ambitious to move up the career ladder, while DS Dodds is something of an oddball who likes snacking on chips with lots of butter on.

But inevitably DS Dodds turns out to be an exceptional detective and the pair form a great crime-busting duo. Talking about what looks like the last ever series, Tala told What to Watch: "I loved the fact that we find out that Dodds goes to the pub every week, and he's got all these mates. I wasn't sure he had any mates! So although we previously thought he was a bit of a loner. It's actually McDonald who's the loner because she's moved from London to Bath."

The series was also helped by its beautiful Bath back drop. Plus it had a fine guest cast including Alan Davies, Catherine Tyldesley, Paul McGann, Martin Kemp and Sarah Parish. In total ITV only made 11 episodes across the four series. Cop shows generally live or die by their central relationship and McDonald and Dodds really are one of TV’s most enjoyable pairings.