Gold is set to bring back the beloved characters Gemma (played by Sian Gibson) and Terry (played by Johnny Vegas) for a feature-length Christmas special titled “Blood Actually: A ‘Murder, They Hope’ Mystery.” This follows the immense success of the UKTV Original franchise Murder, They Hope.

The special, with a runtime of 90 minutes, will depict Gemma and Terry’s first Christmas as a married couple, once again thrust into the midst of a murderous catastrophe. Co-produced by Tiger Aspect and Schnoobert Productions, this special is part of a double commission deal that will also see a standalone Murder, They Hope special return in 2024.

Johnny Vegas expresses his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “I’m thrilled to be reuniting with the crew for these Murder, They Hope specials. Working with Sian is fantastic, and each instalment keeps getting better. There’s plenty for viewers to anticipate in this one, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Sian Gibson adds, “I’m incredibly excited to join forces once again with my old friend Johnny Vegas and a wonderfully talented cast for another chapter of Murder, They Hope. There will be more laughter, drama, and hilariously gruesome murder sprees, making it fun for the whole family. I’m eagerly looking forward to getting started.”

Joining the Draper-Bremmers in the Christmas special will be several new famous faces, including Jane Horrocks, Robert Webb, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Samuel Anderson, and Clive Russell. Additional cast members will be announced soon. Returning favourites from Murder, They Hope include Lee Mack, Sherrie Hewson, and Sarah Hadland.

The Christmas special unfolds as the Draper-Bremmers participate in various festive activities, such as Santa parades, gift-giving events, and competitive Christmas challenges. However, the holiday spirit takes a dark turn as bodies start piling up. Gemma does her best to salvage their Christmas celebration, while Terry aims to fulfill his dream of preparing the perfect Christmas dinner and solving the murders in time.

These two new specials, airing in 2023 and 2024, respectively, return to the original feature-length format of the series. The show, created by Jason Cook, previously featured successful hits like Murder on the Blackpool Express, Death on the Tyne, and Dial M for Middlesbrough, and later spawned the spin-off series Murder, They Hope, which ran for two seasons on Gold.

Jason Cook expresses his excitement, stating, “I’m thrilled to bring back Gemma and Terry for Gold, starting with the pinnacle of television: The Christmas Special. It’s incredibly exciting to have Tiger Aspect, a titan in television, co-producing the show alongside my new production company, Schnoobert Productions. We’ve packed this special with as much Christmas as possible, so I hope it serves as a (blood-soaked) Christmas gift that the whole family will enjoy!”

“BLOOD ACTUALLY: A ‘MURDER, THEY HOPE’ MYSTERY” is commissioned for UKTV by Sarah Asante, commissioning editor for scripted comedy, along with Pete Thornton, head of scripted, and ordered by Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning.

Gerald Casey expresses his enthusiasm, stating, “What better way to celebrate Christmas than watching the iconic duo, Gemma and Terry, do what they do best. Having Sian and Johnny back on our screens in the original event-style format is a true pleasure, and I hope Gold viewers will love this festive take on Jason’s hilarious murder mystery series as much as I do.”

Sarah Asante adds, “Bringing back this series in its original form for the next two years on Gold is truly exciting, and I’m delighted to collaborate with Tiger Aspect and Jason Cook to bring it to life. I can’t wait to see what comical chaos awaits Gemma and Terry.”

“BLOOD ACTUALLY: A ‘MURDER, THEY HOPE’ MYSTERY” is set to air on Gold later this year, with the second standalone special scheduled for 2024. This latest commission from UKTV’s comedy channel Gold follows the recently announced series “Alison and Larry: Billericay to Barry,” set to air later this year.

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