Channel 5's seafaring crime drama The Good Ship Murder is returning to the ocean this December with a Christmas special!
The Good Ship Murder season 1, which aired in 2023, starred former Coronation Street co-stars Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldesley as cabaret singer Jack Grayling and First Officer Kate Woods, who became an unlikely crime-solving team while working together on a cruise ship in the Meditteranean. It was a ratings success for the channel, averaging 2.1 million viewers per episode across its run, and earlier this year the broadcaster announced that it would be returning for a Christmas special and two further seasons.
"The blend of music, mystery and beautiful locations was a winning formula that our viewers loved in series one," says Paul Testar, Channel 5's Commissioning Editor, Drama. "We're excited to be working with [production company] Clapperboard again to bring the series back."
Here's what to expect from The Good Ship Murder's 2024 Christmas special...
The Good Ship Murder 2024 Christmas special release date
Channel 5 has now confirmed that The Good Ship Murder Christmas special will air on Wednesday, December 18 2024 at 9pm.
The Good Ship Murder 2024 Christmas special cast
Strictly Come Dancing 2024 star Shayne Ward will be back on board as former detective turned professional singer Jack Grayling, as will Catherine Tyldesley as the ambitious and analytical First Officer Kate Woods.
Coronation Street's Claire Sweeney is also confirmed to return as the ship's cruise director Beverley Carnell, as will G'Wed's Zak Douglas as crew member Jamil Al-Rashid and Geoffrey Breton will also be reprising his role as Kate's fellow officer and former fiancé Piers de Vreese.
New regular cast members joining at Christmas include Kiza Deen as Frankie Johnson, the ship's new head of security, and James Barriscale as Captain Marlowe.
The guest cast for the special includes Call The Midwife star Cliff Parisi as Buddy Elveden, a stand-up comedian who Jack and Kate meet in Dubrovnik, The Long Shadow's Naomi Radcliffe as Buddy's long-suffering assistant Karen McCallister, Foundation's Emily Stott as passenger Joni McClane and Victoria Schranz as Joni's young daughter Victoria.
The Good Ship Murder 2024 Christmas special plot
Christmas on board the ship gets off to a shaky start when their Santa falls ill, and Bev puts Jack in charge of finding a replacement. When he encounters struggling stand-up comic Buddy in Dubrovnik, it looks like Jack's Christmas wish has been granted — but an unexpected turn of events puts a spanner in the works of Jack's plans, and he and Kate are soon scrambling to save Christmas for everyone on board.
Meanwhile, Jamil volunteers to be an elf at Santa's grotto in the hope of securing a transfer to the entertainment team, Kate and Piers navigate their working relationship in the wake of their break-up, Frankie gets to grips with her new job, and Bev is presented with an exciting opportunity.
Is there a trailer for The Good Ship Murder 2024 Christmas special?
Channel 5 have not made a trailer for the Christmas special available yet. If one becomes available, we'll update this page to include it.
Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldesley interview for The Good Ship Murder Christmas special
How excited were you to get to film a Christmas special?
Shayne: "Oh, delighted! Me and Cath absolutely love Christmas."
Catherine: "We love a theme! Any excuse for a theme: Halloween, Christmas, we're in!"
Shayne: "We didn't even know what the storyline was, it was just like 'it's Christmas' and we said yes!"
Catherine: "'We're there!'"
What can you tell us about the Christmas special?
Catherine: "I think what's brilliant about the Christmas episode is that you've got all that Christmas magic and then some. There's a real showbizzy, camp element but there's a beautiful message at the heart of the Christmas episode which runs alongside the will-they-won't-they plot with Jack and Kate. I feel like it's got a bit of everything, and then of course Shayne sings brilliantly at the end of the episode like he does every time!"
Shayne: "There's a little girl in the episode too, and Jack and Kate don't want to let her down. Santa is in the midst of everything, and we just want to make sure that everyone on the ship has a great Christmas."
How was it having Cliff Parisi guest starring as Buddy?
Shayne: "He's great, we love him."
Catherine: "He's wonderful, and so much fun — and obviously an expert at playing Santa. They couldn't have found anybody with more experience than Cliff!"
Shayne: "It's like it was the norm for him, wasn't it? He embodied Santa to the point where you could be stood next to him and just think it was normal that he was in a Santa suit."
Catherine: "We questioned it — me and Shayne were going 'oh my God, I think Cliff actually is Santa!'"
How will each of you be spending Christmas this year?
Shayne: "Oh, just family time. I'm super-excited about being with the kids and getting the house jobs done — I've got a long list! I'll be filling holes in walls and painting doors when it's freezing outside. I'm just excited about making it the best Christmas ever."
Catherine: "Same! Just family, really chilled. I just like putting my pyjamas on and not leaving the house, really!"
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