'Cooper & Fry' Cast, Plot, Episodes and More Details About Channel 5's Newest Detective Series

Channel 5's new detective drama series Cooper & Fry debuted on Tuesday night, boasting a stacked cast bringing Stephen Booth's bestselling novels to life.

The series will see Doctor Who and Hollyoaks actress Mandip Gill portray DC Diane Fry; a police officer transferred from Leeds to the rurality of Derbyshire and is partnered up with local officer DC Ben Cooper, played by Robert James-Collier. The mismatched pair will try to solve cases while trying to navigate each other's personalities.

The Plot

The series will adapt four of Stephen Booth's early novels, which include Black Dog, Dying to Sin, Blind to the Bones and Dancing with the Virgins. The show's synopsis reads: 'In the Peak District, mismatched detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry must work together on a series of unusual cases to get results.'

While based on Booth's work, co-creators Ben Court and Caroline Ip admitted to TV Guide that they had to make crucial changes to the source material for the series' screenplay, specifically with the dynamic of the main protagonists.

However, they did say that they committed in staying true to the essence of the books to not disappoint its readers. Although,Ip added that 'the books are so rich we can't include everything.'

The Cast

Led by Downton Abbey star Robert James-Collier and Mandip Gill playing the detectives, the series also stars Charlotte Bradley (Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog) as Ben's mother, Isobel and Lorcan Cranitch (The Crown) as DI Paul Hitchen's, Cooper and Fry's boss.

Also casted are Barry O'Conor (Game of Thrones) as DS Todd Eland, Niamh McCann (The Teacher) as Tracey Garnett, Clara Simpson (Research Unit) as Dr. Juliana Taylor, Emer Heatley (Stonehouse) as Danielle Entwhistle and Grace Collender (Cleansweep) as Cara Doyle.

'They're like squabbling siblings'--- Ip

Speaking on the relationship between the two main characters, Ip said that James-Collier and Gill's interaction while filming changed their perspective of them.

'In the original version of the script, Cooper and Fry were much more combative. But when we saw the interaction between actor Rob James-Collier and Mandip Gill there was so much warmth between the pair, so what's very combative on the page came off more like banter,' Ip shared with TV Guide.

'They're like squabbling siblings and we're really pleased with that,' she added.

Court also noted that there are no hints of 'will-they-won't-they?' between the two, which is vital because it would drastically change their dynamic.

They also revealed tweaking Fry's character to fit the series' narrative.

'We've changed Fry a bit. She almost had too much going on (in the books), so we simplified her,' Ip said. Court added: 'There's always a battle between how much of a character's story you can tell in an episode versus how much plot. Everything we've ever written is always plot first and then a bit of character.'

Release Date of Future Episodes

The series will have run through four feature-length episodes each clocking two hours. The remaining three will be released every Tuesdays, with episode two airing on 25 November.