n her first role since Coronation Street, Tina O’Brien is to appear in the new series of ITV’s Blue Murder. Tina will guest starring as Amy Kirkland, the girlfriend of a murdered rock star, who becomes a prime suspect for DCI Janine Lewis played by Caroline Quentin.

Titled ‘This Charming Man’, the episode is one of a series of six commissioned by ITV, produced by Mike Dormer and currently being filmed on location in Manchester. Janine’s team come face to face with the seedy late night antics of the music world, its stars, their egos, managers and hangers on.

Ian Kelsey, Paul Loughran and Nicholas Murchie reprise their roles as DI Richard Mayne, DS Butchers and DS Shap.

Belinda Everett joins the regular cast as Kat, a young, feisty detective who quickly fits in with the friendly banter of the team.

As the series develops we learn more about the personal lives and loves of the team. Richard finds himself supporting Janine in her home life as well as at work as she struggles to cope following the departure of ex-husband Pete. As the situation develops, Janine finds herself making some tough decisions about her future in the police force.

Also guest starring in the episode entitled ‘Having it All’ is Chris Gascoyne as Alan Gaskell, the downtrodden husband of cheerleading coach Helen Gaskell, who is murdered the morning after her team fails to qualify for the National Cheerleading Championships. With passions running high, the detectives have no shortage of suspects, most notably her niece Jess (Holliday Granger) and her sister Anita (Siobhan Finneran) who have more than cheerleading on their minds.

A further episode ‘Tooth and Claw’ sees the team venturing into the north Manchester hills, when a murder takes place at a Veterinary Practice in a secluded village; and in ‘Inside’ Richard risks everything to go undercover in a prison to solve a 14-year-old murder

The final episode will be a two part special, in which a private detective is found dead in a multi story car park. Everyone involved seems to have something to hide and as the case develops Shap’s career hangs in the balance due to his increasingly erratic behaviour – what is he keeping from the team and why?