With sunshine on the Thames, exciting guest stars and a few early nerves, returning to Marlow for a third series of The Marlow Murder Club proved as eventful off-screen as it is on it for Samantha Bond.
‘Marlow was magnificent,’ she says. ‘The weather was triumphant, it was wonderful to be back with all the regulars, and then we had some spectacular guest stars,’ she says.
The UK’s most famous river remains central to the show’s charm and, this time, the cast take charge of an electric self-drive motorboat. But filming in the river did bring up some fears for the leading lady, whose character Judith Potts goes wild swimming in the series whenever she needs to think.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so frightened in my professional life! The Thames is a terrifying beast,’ she says. ‘We went out in one boat that Cara [Horgan] was driving, and we ended up in four inches of water in the boat. That boat had to come back in and then we took another one. The leakage was quite funny. It is all part of what The Marlow Murder Club is – the Thames is a big part of the show, but it takes a long time [to film] with boat sequences.’
Third series nerves
But alongside the excitement came an unexpected wobble. ‘One interesting thing, that I think all the four leading women felt, was that we spent about two weeks being very anxious. I think that’s because in series one we were overexcited, in series two we all knew each other and then there is sort of a weight of expectation that sits on your shoulders when you know you are on series three. It took us all a bit of time to settle.’
But Samantha, 64, says there was a moment that helped her and co-stars Cara, 41, Jo Martin, 56, and Natalie Dew, 38, to settle their nerves. ‘We had to do one of those great big scenes that they all have together and then we all calmed down.’ And there was also reassurance from those joining the show. ‘What was nice was the guests said word has got out in the industry that we are a fun show to come and do. That’s why you get the best.’
The reality of filming
If you’ve ever thought that life as a successful actress was all glitz and glamour, Samantha, who played Miss Moneypenny alongside Pierce Brosnan in four James Bond films and wealthy widow Lady Rosamund Painswick in Downton Abbey, sheds a different light on the matter.
‘I think real people think filming is a bit of a party, but in fact, it’s such incredibly hard work,’ she says.
The results of the hard work promise some particularly devilish plotting.
‘All the scripts have been amazing, and the twists are phenomenal, but the ones in the episode, An Appetite for Murder, are colossal. I defy anyone to work them out.’
Embracing the ‘cosy’ label
After previously resisting describing the show as cosy, Samantha – who shares adult children Molly and Tom with her husband of 36 years Alexander Hanson – now concedes its appeal. ‘A lovely thing about The Marlow Murder Club – and I am going to use the word “cosy” now, which I have been allergic to for two years – but the reason we are a cosy murder story is that you don’t see blood and gore. You are just immediately taken into the intrigue and the intrigue in that story is incredible.’
The new episodes also show off some stunning locations, including a grand manor house for Murder in the Dark. ‘It is stunning. It is extraordinary. And it’s enormous. The hosts couldn’t have been sweeter and kinder.’
Grand locations and furry co‑stars
And there were some very welcome interruptions during filming. ‘There was a ginger cat and a puppy dog. The ginger cat used to come in when we were filming. You would be in the middle of a scene where it was all quite serious and then suddenly you would hear a miaow.’
And Samantha reveals she has the perfect understudy for the cast’s feline friends should it be necessary! ‘I have a very beautiful, fluffy cat, who I was thinking could come in and double for him, and she’s affectionate and warm.’
From victim to detective
Although she plays our favourite amateur detective on the show, Samantha has played her fair share of victims too. She recalls, ‘I was killed off in [an episode of] Midsomer Murders. I was shot through my forehead. Then you get covered in fake blood and you spend hours lying slumped against a wall.’
When she gets some downtime, puzzles bring peace to Samantha – something she has in common with her on-screen persona. ‘Both Judith and I do the cryptic crossword. My favourite, because it’s the easiest, is The Telegraph.’
With the series now a hit far beyond Buckinghamshire, she’s hopeful for more. ‘It is my hope and every bit of me is crossed.’
Carole Richardson is a journalist and ghostwriter who has contributed to Yours magazine for over fifteen years, interviewing celebrities and extraordinary everyday people. She began ghostwriting nearly a decade ago, with her first book becoming a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.