Van der Valk star Marc Warren has paid tribute to his co-stars with an emotional message. The actor returned to his leading role as the detective drama returned with a fourth season on Sunday, August 2. The series, which also stars Maimie McCoy as Inspecteur Lucienne Hassell and Azan Ahmed as Sergeant Eddie Suleman, first debuted in 2020 on ITV as a reimagining of the classic 1970s series featuring Barry Foster.
Adapted from Nicolas Freeling’s crime thriller novels, Van der Valk follows the sharp-minded detective and his team as they tackle a fresh set of murder cases. Ahead of the fourth season’s premiere, Marc addressed returning to film with his co-stars, reports the Mirror.
The Van der Valk actor paid tribute to his co-stars (Image: Getty)
Praising the crew, he revealed: “It felt a lot more expensive, a bigger crew, and it’s like everything we’d been learning over the three previous years culminated in this series.
“We’re much more of a family, there’s a much tighter bond within us, and also one of the family gets a health problem, and that really unites us – it’s got a lot of heart.”
He further commented, “It really touches me, there’s something about it, and it’s a show with a lot of heart, and as a group of actors, we were lucky to do it.”
Ahead of the fourth series airing, Maimie shared in a press pack: “Coming back together is always lovely. It’s a bit disparate, because Emma Fielding, who plays Dahlman, comes back for the odd day, and I feel like something changes when she arrives, because then everybody is there.
“It’s a lovely thing. It always surprises me how you can slot back in very quickly, even though I hadn’t seen any of the main cast for over a year. Straight away, it felt like no time had gone on. I think that’s a testament to what we’ve created.”
Van Der Valk has returned with a new series (Image: ITV)
Azan added: “Coming back to the Van der Valk family this season in particular was, very exciting because the family is under threat multiple times.
“You see us get a lot closer and you see a lot more heart. To have that whilst also being a detective show was an incredible experience. It’s such a privilege to be able to learn from these actors and these characters.”
Set against the backdrop of Amsterdam, the opening episode of the new series kicked off with the murder of a whistleblower who had been under police protection ahead of a court appearance, prompting Van der Valk and his team to ensure a second witness reached the courtroom unharmed.
His investigation took a personal turn, however, upon learning that the protection officer responsible for the first victim was none other than a former lover.
“Fair to say there is no love lost between the two, especially when he suggests she might have been involved in the killing…” the synopsis goes on to tease.
Van der Valk continues on Sunday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.