The Madame Blanc Mysteries series 5 cast: who's who, and the soap stars joining Jean and Dom

The Madame Blanc Mysteries returned to Channel 5 on Thursday 29 October with its fifth series, and this time Jean White has a wedding to plan as well as murders to solve. Created and co-written by Sally Lindsay, the cosy crime drama is back for seven hour-long episodes, with the regular faces of Sainte Victoire joined by a guest list that will look very familiar to anyone who grew up on Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale.

The regulars returning to Sainte Victoire

Sally Lindsay once again leads the series as Jean White, the antiques dealer from Cheshire who first came to the South of France to find out how her husband Rory had died and stayed on to become the village's unofficial detective. Soap fans will know her best as Shelley Unwin, landlady of the Rovers Return in Coronation Street, but Jean has been her signature role since the show began in 2021.

Steve Edge is back alongside her as Dom Hayes, the local taxi driver who has been at Jean's side since her first days in the village and is now her fiancé. Sue Vincent, who writes the series with Lindsay, returns as Gloria, the village garage owner, while Paul Chuckle is back as her father, Trevor.

Sue Holderness and Robin Askwith reprise their roles as Judith and Jeremy Lloyd James, the couple who own the local chateau, and Alex Gaumond returns as André Caron, the chief of the local police. Tony Robinson is also back as Dom's Uncle Patrick, and Stephen Bailey returns as the gangster John Marsden, whose temper is one of the threats hanging over the new episodes.

A guest list packed with soap favourites

The producers promised more guest stars than ever for this run, and the names announced so far include a strong contingent of soap royalty. Brian Capron, forever remembered by Coronation Street fans as the scheming Richard Hillman, is among them, as are former EastEnders stars Bonnie Langford, who played Carmel Kazemi in Walford, and Louisa Lytton, known to Albert Square regulars as Ruby Allen.

Frazer Hines, who played Joe Sugden in Emmerdale for more than two decades, also makes an appearance. They are joined by Lesley Joseph of Birds of a Feather, Su Pollard of Hi-de-Hi!, Michael Fenton Stevens and a group of stand-up comedians, with Justin Moorhouse, Jason Manford and Zoe Lyons all on the cast list.

The characters these guests are playing have not yet been revealed, so viewers will have to wait to find out which of them are suspects, victims or simply passing through.

What the new series is about

The new episodes centre on Jean and Dom's plans to marry, and as the official synopsis puts it, nothing can prepare them for the obstacles that crop up along the way. A body turns up at one of the village's best-known spots, someone is found foaming at the mouth in the St Victoire Theatre, Uncle Patrick takes charge of a pub quiz at La Couronne and Judith and Jeremy face a difficult dilemma of their own.

A new arrival, Claudie, also threatens to cause trouble for the wedding. Speaking when the series was confirmed, Lindsay said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that The Madame Blanc Mysteries is returning for a fifth series." As before, the sunny French village on screen is actually Malta, with the cast and crew filming on Gozo and the main island earlier this year.

How to watch

The series airs on Channel 5, and the opening episode can already be streamed free on 5. Viewers in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will be able to watch it on Acorn TV from Monday 9 November.

If Sally Lindsay's return has left you nostalgic for her days on the cobbles, our Coronation Street guide has everything coming up on the Street.

With six episodes still to come, plenty of familiar faces yet to appear and John Marsden's anger simmering in the background, the big question is whether Jean and Dom will make it down the aisle at all. The Madame Blanc Mysteries continues on Channel 5 and 5.

Images: Channel 5.