'I'm not just assisting some man to solve crime' - Jo Martin loves women dominating The Marlow Murder Club

The Marlow Murder Club is returning for season 2 - and stars Jo Martin and Samantha Bond discuss the power of having women at the helm of the show.

From Miss Scarlet to Moonflower Murders, we can't get enough of cosy crime drama. The Marlow Murder Club is an equally perfect addition to the genre, and it's back for a second outing.

Based on The Marlow Murder Club Mysteries novel series by Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, viewers delighted in season 1 of the adaptation, and have been counting down to the next instalment which airs from Wednesday 19 March on U&Drama.

Thorogood has suggested that he likes to pen stories in the style of Agatha Christie, with Death in Paradise echoing Poirot, and The Marlow Murder Club having shades of Miss Marple.

Viewers only need to hear the name 'Agatha Christie' to know exactly what they're getting - gloriously comfortable viewing, memorable characters, and often, quaint settings.

The Marlow Murder Club serves up all of those things. And the best part? It's led by women. Filmed on location in pretty Marlow, actress Jo Martin (Suzie) stars alongside a predominantly female cast, and she's hugely proud of this.

"You have four female leads who are running the show, I’m not just assisting some man while they solve a crime," the actress said in a conversation with The Mirror.

Keeping things female-centred and also in the family, Samantha Bond's (Judith) daughter, appeared alongside her in season 1 of the cosy show. "My daughter in series 1 played the young Judith.

"I didn’t get to share scenes with her. You can’t have the old and the young in the same scene, but it was lovely having her around," the actress explains.

Season 2 begins with Samantha and Jo's characters, along with fellow sleuth Becks (Cara Horgan) off to a garden party hosted by Sir Peter Bailey. When he's later found dead inside his locked study, the women jump into action.

Alongside their crime solving, the women also find time to invest in their personal lives. While the show is worlds away from current hard hitting ITV not-so-cosy witness protection drama, Protection, Samantha's character Judith, and Siobhan Finneran's Protection character, Liz, actually have a lot in common.

Both single parents, the latest season of The Marlow Murder Club sees Suzie experience a newfound independence when her teenage daughter leaves home. In Protection, Liz is also finally finding time for herself after revolving her entire life around family and other commitments while never finding time for herself.

"As a mother myself, we all make this mistake where sometimes you pour so much into your children and you give nothing back to yourself," Jo explains, adding, "It’s about getting them shoes, getting them to eat, keeping them alive – and then they get to the stage where they’re not needing you so much anymore."

Suzie and Judith also get time to look for love in the upcoming season of The Marlow Murder Club, although it appears this could be easier for Judith, who is tipped to have a keen love interest throughout the season.

Jo wasn't quite sure what to make of this, saying light-heartedly, "Where’s my love interest? What’s going on? Suzie has life in her, she needs a bit of joy!" We hope that she finds it - tune into the series to find out if romance is in store for both characters.