Professor T, the ITV crime drama starring Ben Miller, returns to screens tonight after a two-year hiatus. The fourth season begins on Wednesday, August 19 at 9pm on ITV1.
Ben Miller Reprises Role as Eccentric Criminologist
The series follows Professor Jasper Tempest, a genius criminologist at Cambridge University who assists the police in solving crimes. Ben Miller has played the lead role of the eccentric Professor T since 2021. Detective drama fans will recognise him from the BBC's hit Death in Paradise, where he played DI Richard Poole for over two series before his character was killed off at the beginning of series three. The detective was murdered at a reunion by a former university acquaintance, prompting Kris Marshall's character, Humphrey Goodman, to investigate the case. Kris later replaced Ben as the detective lead in the show.
Professor T is based on a Belgian series and is very much an Anglo-Belgian production; much of the filming takes place there, and it has become popular globally.
New Season Picks Up After Cliffhanger
The new series will pick up from season three's heartbreaking cliffhanger, which saw DS Lisa Donckers tragically struck in a hit and run. Speaking about where his character is at the start of season four, Ben said: "He's almost gone back to square one in terms of his OCD. We've previously seen him trying to take the gloves off, literally and metaphorically, but he ended up pulling them back on after Lisa's death."
He added: "For whatever reason, he didn't comfort her as she was dying. The darker side of his nature took over, and he's carrying a lot of guilt from letting her die like that. He wanted to change before, but he's really determined to change now. He can't let that happen again."
Zoe Wanamaker Joins Cast
Joining the main cast in the fourth season is Harry Potter and Modern Family star Zoe Wanamaker, who plays Jasper's Aunt Zelda. Speaking about getting recognised, Ben said: "They have Death in Paradise in America, and people tend to recognise me for that, but I also gather Professor T is very popular in Japan! You wouldn't think Professor T would travel so well because it's quirky, but I think what people love about it is its quirkiness. It turns out that's a universal human trait."
He continued: "We all feel like we're a little bit on the outside of things occasionally, and there's a release in seeing someone who completely defies every social convention yet seems to not only function, but function extremely well. I think that's very inspiring." Professor T season 4 starts on Wednesday, August 19 at 9pm on ITV1.
