The Good Ship Murder Christmas special 2025: Cast, plot, release date and festive romance hopes for Jack and Kate
Jack and Kate are back for more Christmas crime-fighting...
The Good Ship Murder Christmas special 2025 will setting sail soon on Channel 5 and, with the release date now confirmed, you can lock it into your festive viewing schedule.
The stand-alone episode for Christmas will reunite crime-solving cruise ship workers Jack Grayling and Kate Woods – played by lead cast Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldesley – as they face another grisly murder.
This year’s seasonal plot also gathers some very familiar guest stars – read on for all the details.
What is The Good Ship Murder Christmas special about for 2025?
The 2025 Christmas special will see the ship heading for Alicante. But, forget Yuletide sunshine and celebrations, because a web of deceit and destruction leads to another suspicious death, and it is up to Kate and Jack to find the killer.
The official synopsis for the episode says: “Donna, a woman claiming to suffer from a life-changing illness, boards the ship with her loyal friend, Bernie. As the festive voyage begins, Donna charms fellow passenger, Gary, and, yearning for a Christmas miracle, she visits a monastery. There she meets Rodriguez, a mysterious man of the cloth, and Thomasina, an enigmatic nun. But the holiday cheer turns dark when Bernie is found dead.
“Gary, Rodriguez and Thomasina soon become the prime suspects in Bernie’s murder, but the hunt for the truth unearths something terrible. When the real story finally comes to light, it upends everything the crew thought they knew about the tragedy.”
There is also fresh drama heading for Jack in The Good Ship Murder Christmas special, who, at the end of series 2, found himself out of a job and searching for a new career on dry land.
Channel 5 says: “Jack is lying low, performing to half-empty rooms in a grimy dive bar. The monastery murder draws Kate back to him, and with Jamil’s help, can the two finally rekindle their romance?
“As Christmas dawns, will Jack return to where he belongs, and will he share a Christmas song with everyone on board?”
Who is in the cast for The Good Ship Murder Christmas special?
Singer and actor Shayne Ward is back as Jack Grayling. Shayne of course won The X Factor in 2005. He also played Aidan Connor in Coronation Street and took part in Strictly Come Dancing 2024.
Actress Catherine Tyldesley will also reprise her role of Kate Woods for the Christmas special. She’s most famous for playing Eva Price in Coronation Street, a role she recently returned to.
Zak Douglas will be back as Jamil Al-Rashid. He’s known for playing Mo Fassi in G’wed, and Dudley in The Larkins.
Geoffrey Breton portrays Piers De Vreese. He previously played Mark Phillips in The Crown.
Ross Adams, better known to soap fans as Scott Drinkwell in Hollyoaks, is back as Colin Smallwood. He joined the show in series 2.
James Barriscale is back as Captain Richard Marlowe, Kiza Deen plays Frankie Johnson and Yuna Shin is Dr. Sharon Tan.
This year’s festive episode will also see Emmerdale star Lesley Dunlop join the guest cast as Carole Merryweather and former Hollyoaks favourite Gary Lucy joins as Jason Agnew.
When does The Good Ship Murder Christmas special 2025 air?
The Good Ship Murder Christmas special 2025 will air on Channel 5 on Saturday, December 27 at 9pm.
You can still watch last year’s festive episode on channel5.com and 5’s streaming service.
Read more: The Best Christmas TV shows for 2025 across all platforms
Will there be a Good Ship Murder series 3?
There sure will be! Jack and Kate will be back to solve more crimes across Europe early next year, after the cast and crew wrapped filming in late spring 2025.
We don’t have a confirmed date yet but will let you know as soon as we do – as a guide, season 2 began airing on January 10 in 2025.
So not long to wait after the Christmas special airs hopefully!
The Good Ship Murder returns to Channel 5 on Saturday, December 27 at 9pm.
You can watch all past series of the series, along with last year’s Christmas special on Channel5.com.
