Grantchester: Neil Morrissey joins James Norton and Robson Green for second series

Former Men Behaving Badly, Waterloo Road and Bob The Builder star, Neil Morrissey has joined the cast of Grantchester for the second series of the Cambridge based period drama which stars James Norton and Robson Green.

ITV drama have released a photo of the actor on his first week on set for the new series which is currently in production in Grantchester, Cambridge and London.

Morrissey will be playing Harding Redmond, a resident of Grantchester and grieving father whose teenage daughter Abigail (Grace Holley) is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Heartbroken and desperate to get to the bottom of what happened to Abigail, Harding accuses Sidney of having an inappropriate relationship with her. Sidney is determined to prove his innocence but will Harding's accusations change the way the villagers feel about him?

Speaking of his latest role, the actor said: "I'm really excited to be joining the cast of Grantchester. It's great to work with James Norton, Robson Green and the rest of the cast, and I can't wait to film in the actual village of Grantchester, which I know is beautiful. I'm also happy to be sporting a funky fifties moustache, my first foray into top lip decoration since I started acting."

The first series of Grantchester, based on the books by James Runcie, attracted average viewing figures of 6.6 million and a 24% audience share when it debuted in October last year.

Set in the 1950s, the drama follows an unlikely crime-fighting duo – the charismatic, charming clergyman Sidney Chambers (James Norton) and gruff, down-to-earth Police Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green).

Other new cast who will appear in the series include Claudie Blakley (Lark Rise To Candleford, The Driver), Nigel Planer (The Young Ones, Episodes), Andrew Knott (Black Work, The Driver), Nicky Henson (Downton Abbey, Vera Drake) and Oliver Dimsdale (Harley Street, He Knew He Was Right).

Returning from the first series are Tessa Peake-Jones (Marchlands, Only Fools and Horses), Morven Christie (Hunted, From There To Here), Kacey Ainsworth (EastEnders, The Wright Way) and Al Weaver (Southcliffe, Sherlock).