The Good Ship Murder series 3 episode 1 guest cast includes EastEnders and Coronation Street stars
A dream holiday turns into a living nightmare as The Good Ship Murder returns...
The Good Ship Murder series 3 is setting sail on Channel 5 for another action-packed voyage and, as always with the cosy crime drama, there are some great guest stars on board for the trip.
The new series will kick off with a Christmas-themed episode, reuniting us with all our crime-solving favourites as Jack Grayling and Kate Woods are faced with another grisly murder. They are joined by some very familiar faces, including Gary Lucy and Michelle Holmes.
Cruise ship crooner Jack, played by Shayne Ward and the ship’s First Officer, Kate Woods, played by Catherine Tyldesley, face another case to crack as the ship docks in Alicante.
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 Jason and, yearning for a Christmas miracle, visits a remote 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.
With Jason, Rodriguez, and Thomasina each under scrutiny, the hunt for the truth leads deep into a web of deceit and desperation. When the real story finally comes to light, it upends everything the crew thought they knew about the tragedy.
Here’s everything we know about The Good Ship Murder series 3 episode 1 guest cast…
Gary Lucy joins the cast as Jason Agnew
Jason is on a stag do with all his friends as he boards the ship. He’s thrilled when he bumps into Donna, someone he has been following on social media for a while and takes an instant fancy to.
Despite Donna’s friend, Bernie, trying to protect her from Jason’s advances, he showers Donna with gifts. However, when Bernie is found dead, Jason is the prime suspect for the murder.
But did Jason bump off Bernie so he could romance Donna, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Where have you seen Gary Lucy before?
Gary, from Chigwell in Essex, became a household name in 1997 after landing a role in sports drama Dream Team. He went on to star in Channel 4, Hollyoaks as Luke Morgan between 1999 and 2002. He then returned to the soap in 2017 until 2022.
During his time on the soap, he led huge storylines, including a male rape in 2000 and, more recently, his character’s battle with Dementia in 2019. He exited the soap when Luke fell from a cliff while on his stag do and died in hospital, surrounded by his friends and family.
While on his break from Hollyoaks, Gary starred in Footballers’ Wives as Kyle Pascoe. Kyle was a footballer for the fictional team Earl’s Park. He also appeared in The Bill as PC Will Fletcher between 2005 and 2010 and EastEnders as Danny Pennant – the ex-boyfriend of Lucy Beale – in 2013.
Gary also showed off his skating abilities on ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2010, where he came second with professional partner Maria Fillipov.
The Good Ship Murder series 3 episode 1 cast: Michelle Holmes is Eve Fontaine
Eve is the on-board entertainment – and Jack Grayling’s replacement after he was unceremoniously sacked from the ship. However, Eve is a handful and spends most of her time clashing with the cruise director, Colin.
While demanding ridiculous riders in her cabin and putting on a fake persona for fans, Eve might seem like a high-maintenance diva. But it turns out she is hiding a huge secret of her own.
What else has Michelle Holmes been in?
Michelle is a familiar face on British TV, having starred in Goodnight Sweetheart alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst between 1993 and 1996. Michelle played Yvonne Sparrow for the first three series of the much-loved show.
The Lancashire-born star also appeared in crime drama Above Suspicion between 2009 and 2012, and Coronation Street between 1989 and 1990 where she played a character called Tina Fowler. Michelle also played Maggie Kinsella in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks between 2017 and 2018.
Her first acting role was in ITV medical soap The Practice. Michelle has also appeared in huge shows such as Cold Feet, Doctors, Shameless and Heartbeat.
Joelle Dyson as Donna Branning
Donna arrives on the cruise ship with her loyal friend, Bernie, who we know from the official synopsis for the episode won’t make it home from her holiday alive.
Donna claims to be suffering from a life-changing illness and sees the festive trip as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, paid for by her crowdfunding money. While she is on the ship, she befriends another passenger, Jason, and soon he is showering her with affection.
Later, Donna and Bernie decide to visit a remote monastery near Alicante. And, while she is searching for answers – or even a miracle cure – Donna meets Father Rodriguez and a young nun called Thomasina.
Donna’s world turns upside down when her best friend, Bernie, is found dead in the cloister. But does she know more about her friend’s suspicious death than she is letting on?
What else has Joelle Dyson been in?
London-born Joelle has enjoyed a successful career, appearing in shows including EastEnders, Doctors, Spent and Geek Girl. She also appeared in the Barbie movie as a dancer.
In 2024, Joelle starred in the ITV drama Vera as Rose Adeyemi.
Luis Soto joins the The Good Ship Murder series 3 episode 1 cast as Father Rodriguez
Rodriguez is a mysterious man of the cloth, but he is hiding sinister secrets. It soon turns out not all is as it seems with Rodriguez and Thomasina, and Rodriguez is forced to make a shocking confession to Jack and Kate as they investigate Bernie’s murder.
What is he hiding, and will his confession help them get closer to working out who killed poor Bernie?
Where have you seen Luis Soto before?
Luis is an actor and voice artist who has appeared in MediEvil in 1998, An Education in 2009, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004 and Zorro Generation Z in 2006.
The actor has also appeared in Gentleman Jack, The Duchess, X Company and The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe.
He has also appeared in Doctors, EastEnders and Hollyoaks, where he played Dee Valley University Hospital board chairman Nigel Portland in July 2022.
The Good Ship Murder series 3 episode 1 cast: Rebecca Harland is Bernie Campbell
Bernie is this episode’s victim as she winds up dead in the shocking monastery murder.
The character arrives on the cruise with her best friend, Donna, who is dying, and Bernie is her loyal best friend, doing anything she can for Donna as her health deteriorates.
However, Donna’s quest for answers soon leaves Bernie in grave danger, and she is later found dead after being attacked with a religious ornament while on a pilgrimage to a monastery.
With Sister Thomasina, ship guest Jason and Father Rodriguez all in the frame for Bernie’s murder, there is a twist so huge that when the killer is revealed, everyone is left shocked.
But who bumped off Bernie – and why?
What else has Rebecca Harland been in?
Rebecca is relatively new to the world of acting and played Ellie Fisher in Casualty in 2022.
Aside from Casualty, Rebecca’s only other role so far is in The Good Ship Murder series 3.
Greta Holland stars as Sister Thomasina
Sister Thomasina is a young nun who lives a sheltered life at the monastery after claiming to have seen a vision of Christ. However, Thomasina finds herself in the frame for murder when Kate sees her running away from Bernie’s body just before it is discovered.
But why is the nun in the frame, and what other secrets is she keeping to herself?
Where have you seen Greta Holland before?
You may know Greta from The Madame Blanc Mysteries, where she played a character called Xena.
She has also starred in a short film called I Wish I Never Existed.
The main cast for The Good Ship Murder series 3 episode 1
Singer and actor Shayne Ward is back as Jack Grayling in The Good Ship Murder cast. Shayne 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 new series. 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, a good friend to Kate and Jack, and also the one who is constantly trying to matchmake for the pair. Zak played Mo Fassi in G’wed and Dudley in The Larkins.
Geoffrey Breton portrays Kate’s colleague 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, and the new series will see him back playing the ship’s cruise director.
James Barriscale is back as Captain Richard Marlowe, Kiza Deen plays Frankie Johnson, and Yuna Shin is the ship’s resident medical expert, Dr. Sharon Tan.
The Good Ship Murder series 3 episode 1 cast
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