Ben Miller has said Professor T viewers are "keen" for more of the ITV crime drama after fans were left frustrated by the lengthy wait for the latest series to reach UK screens.
The 60-year-old actor, best known for Death in Paradise, appeared on This Morning on Wednesday (August 26), where he spoke to hosts Rylan Clark and Josie Gibson about the future of the Cambridge-set series.
Rylan said: "Professor T is back. We've been waiting for a long while for this. What have you been up to?"
Looking directly into the camera, Ben replied: "We've been so keen to watch it, haven't we. So keen, haven't we!"
Filming ahead of schedule
During the interview, Rylan pointed out that the show has proved particularly popular and asked whether the next two series had already been filmed. Ben confirmed that they had, meaning fans can look forward to plenty more episodes despite the unusual delay between the UK and US broadcasts.
"We're a bit ahead in America and catching up here," Ben explained. "It's just the way it's fallen here, we've ended up falling a little bit behind." He suggested the wait could at least reassure viewers that there is more Professor T on the way.
Ben added: "So I suppose the good side is, if you find a show and you enjoy a show, you know there's more coming."
Fan frustration over scheduling
The comments come after fans previously expressed their frustration over the show's UK scheduling.
Earlier this month, Ben announced that the fifth series would be made available to American viewers through PBS Passport and PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video from August 9, ahead of its broadcast premiere in October.
The announcement sparked a backlash among some UK fans, who were still waiting for confirmation of when they would get to see series four. One viewer complained that the UK was "a year behind the States", while another questioned why British fans were still waiting for a series that had already aired elsewhere.
A third fan described the wait as "ridiculous", highlighting the growing frustration among viewers eager to see the next instalment.
The UK has now finally caught up, with the fourth series returning to ITV1 and ITVX last week after more than two years since series three ended.
What to expect in the new series
The latest run sees Ben return as the eccentric Cambridge criminologist Professor Jasper Tempest, with the new episodes once again filmed and set around the historic university city.
And fans won't have to worry about the fourth series being the end of the story, with Ben confirming that series five is already in the pipeline.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
