There’s apparently a good deal of unrest behind the scenes of police drama New Tricks, which began with Amanda Redman announcing that she’s quitting the show next year, and her role as Sandra Pullman.

At the time that she made the announcement, she claimed that she was increasingly finding the show’s storylines, “too bland.”

Soon afterwards, her co-stars Alun Armstrong and Dennis Waterman claimed that they wrote many of their own lines for the show.

And not unreasonably, writer Julian Simpson took exception to that statement and posted an angry rant on Twitter, saying, “I’ll tell you EXACTLY how much of it the actors wrote; not a f***ing comma…”

You can click here to read the full article about his angry words on Twitter, but subsequently, Alun has announced that he too is leaving the show.

In a statement which was printed in The Sun’s TV Biz, Alun said, “I have enjoyed every minute and will miss it and everyone involved greatly.

“It has been one big happy family, for everyone who has been part of the team, right from the very first pilot series.

“Although very sad to leave, I am looking forward with excitement to the new challenges the future offers.”

So while there was of course no mention there of any behind the scenes upset, many media commentators believe the row with Julian is at the heart of Alun’s decision.

Are you going to miss Alun and Amanda? And do you think other cast members might now desert what could well be something of a sinking ship?