The coronavirus pandemic led to an almost total shutdown of all TV production and while a number of projects are planning to pick up again in the coming months, the knock-on effect means that a number of new series will miss their planned air dates.
To help spread out the number of new shows completed pre-lockdown and so avoid a long period without any original programming, many broadcasters are giving old shows another outing in primetime slots – with ITV repeating 2018’s Innocent earlier this month and BBC Two currently revisiting 2019’s Vienna Blood on Wednesday nights.
The latest archive series getting a rerun is Maigret, based on the books by Georges Simenon and starring Rowan Atkinson as French detective Jules Maigret.
Here’s what you need to know about the series…
Is Maigret a repeat on ITV?
Maigret Sets A Trap, the first feature-length outing in the series, is airing on ITV on Sunday, 17th May 2020 between 8pm and 10pm.
A synopsis for the TV movie reads: “Set in 1955 during a sweltering summer in Paris, the city is gripped with fear as four women are murdered on the streets of Monmartre in a spree of seemingly unconnected attacks. Chief Inspector Maigret is under huge public and professional pressure to find the killer before he strikes again. Maigret sets a trap which ultimately leads to a thrilling climax.”
The film was originally broadcast on the 28th March 2016, scoring an impressive audience of 7.2 million viewers.
Maigret cast: Who appears in the show?
Maigret stars Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder, Mr. Bean) as Chief Inspector Jules Maigret, Lucy Cohu (Summer of Rockets, Ripper Street) as Madame Maigret, Shaun Dingwall (Doctor Who, Noughts & Crosses) as Inspector Janvier, Leo Staar (Summer of Rockets, Call the Midwife) as Inspector LaPointe and Mark Heap (Green Wing, Friday Night Dinner) as Doctor Moers.
Guest stars in Maigret Sets a Trap include: Katie Lyons (Manhunter) as Madame Maguy, David Dawson (The Last Kingdom) as Marcel Moncin, Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) as Madame Moncin, Rebecca Night (Fanny Hill) as Yvonne Moncin, Rufus Wright (Rogue One) as Minister Morel and Eva-Jane Willis as policewoman Marthe Jusserand.
Maigret ITV episodes: Will there be more?
Maigret Sets a Trap was followed by three more Maigret films – Maigret’s Dead Man (aired on Christmas Day 2016), Maigret’s Night at the Crossroads (16th April, 2017) and Maigret in Montmarte (Christmas Eve, 2017).
In May of 2018, ITV announced that it had “no current plans” for more Maigret, effectively cancelling the series.
However, it is possible that the channel will follow its repeat run of Maigret Sets a Trap with showings of the other three completed films.
Maigret books: Is Maigret Sets a Trap based on a novel?
Yes, Maigret Sets a Trap is based on the 1955 novel by Belgian novelist Georges Simenon.
Simenon wrote 75 Maigret novels (plus 28 short stories) between 1931 and 1972, with Maigret Sets a Trap being the 48th book in the series.
“I don’t doubt people will share my feeling that Rowan Atkinson is probably going to be one of the truest Maigrets ever,” said executive producer John Simenon (son of Georges). “Because he really expresses a unique sensitivity to others, an empathy that is so important. Which is much more important to me than anything else.
“A lot of what happens with Maigret works inwards. The challenge for Rowan was to express that. Not necessarily in words but also in behaviour and body language.”
Maigret Sets a Trap is available from Amazon to buy now.
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