The tenth series will start this month, which was filmed during the pandemic with just a three-month delay in production. 

Set on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the next two series will welcome back cast regulars and introduce new faces to Saint Marie.

The crime drama will continue to feature perplexing and mysterious murders and puzzles, with plenty of surprises in store for viewers. 

Executive producer Tim Key, promised that the next two series will keep viewers “on their toes.”

This is the fourth version of this piece that I’ve written. I scrapped the previous three as “the news” made them immediately out of date. I’m going to plough on with this one, although I fear that, by the time it is published, it will be entirely irrele­vant thanks to world events, but hey ho. Like everyone, I’m resigned to the fact that there’s no way of predicting anything this year…

Writers are invited to submit a spec script and the prize winner will receive a script commission and development opportunities with ITV.

The competition, which first launched in 2007, is designed to find the next generation of writing talent and entrants are asked to “think big, think bold, think how they can make their ideas stand out in a competitive marketplace.”

Ardal O’Hanlon will be back in 2019 as happy-go-lucky detective DI Mooney in the programme, currently airing its seventh series on BBC One.

O’Hanlon joined the show in 2017, replacing Kris Marshall who had played DI Humphrey Goodman for three series.

Set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint-Marie, DI Mooney heads up a team of detectives solving murder mysteries among the idyllic beaches and lush forests of the Caribbean.

Christmas Day

• Doctor Who - 5.30pm, BBC One
• Victoria - 9pm, ITV 
• The Great Christmas Bake Off - 7.40pm, Channel 4 
• First Dates at Christmas - 9pm, Channel 4

The comedy-infused drama has been one of the network's most viewed shows since it first aired in 2011. Kris Marshall stars as the out-of-place DI Humphrey Goodman working on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie alongside the cheerful local officers.

1. Deutschland ‘83

Available on All 4

Witless – BBC Three

Starring Him & Her actress Kerry Howard, this show follows two women who enter witness protection after witnessing a gangland shooting. However creating a ‘new you’ is harder than you might think. Leanne leaps at creating herself as the ultimate diva, while Rhona finds every lie terrifying. 

In a smooth transition, the personable Polly Hill has become the BBC’s new Controller of Drama Commissioning. She takes over without so much as dropping a script from LA-bound Ben Stephenson.

Her new job is one of the most coveted and powerful positions in UK television. Hill is responsible for the wide range of drama across BBC One and BBC Two, an estimated budget of £200m annually, spiced with the challenge of devising a new online policy, principally for BBC Three. She also has oversight of EastEnders, Casualty and Holby City.