The Good Ship Murder: Cast of Channel 5 drama series 2 as Coronation Street actor leaves and Hollyoaks actor joins

The series follows former detective turned cruise ship singer Jack Grayling who investigates a series of murders with the help of the ship's first officer, Kate Woods. After a successful first series, which aired in 2023, The Good Ship Murder was renewed for two more series and aired a Christmas special in 2024.

The second series is going to start tonight (Friday January 10), but there are some changes to the first series - including a big cast change. Since the first series aired, there has been a real life tragedy on the ship the drama is filmed on, where a passenger lost their life.

So, just where is The Good Ship Murder filmed, who will be in the cast of series 2, what is the plot line and when exactly can you watch it? Keep reading to find out all you need to know.

Who is in the cast of The Good Ship Murder series 2?

Shayne Ward returns as Jack Grayling, while Catherine Tyldesley reprises her role as Kate Woods. Ross Adams, known for playing Scott Drinkwell in Hollyoaks, joins as cruise director Colin Smallwood.

Adams’ character replaces cruise director Beverley from the inaugural season, played by Claire Sweeney. She has left the show due to clashing schedules with Coronation Street commitments.

Ward told the press he understood Sweeney’s decision to leave. "To lose Claire was sad for us all. But hopefully not for good. We know that she's deep in the scripts for Coronation Street,” he said.

"We know when you're involved in such big storylines, you're going to be committed to that. So there's always room [for Claire in the cast]. And she's such a character as well for the show, that she is missed," reports the Manchester Evening News.

He also spoke of his joy that Adams had joined the cast. “The great thing about Ross coming in as well is the way that he plays his character is completely opposite [to Claire]. They're not playing the same character."

"It's exciting that if Claire chooses to come back - and we really hope that she does - it'd be a great storyline for herself and Ross, who is the boss [now]. Ross has come in, and he's a great actor. He's really embodied that character, and you can see that he's going to be instantly loved on the ship."

Tyldesley added: “Ross brings the camp and then some. He's hilarious. I'd watch it just for his run. The run that he does across the ship is everything."

Also in the cast are Millie Kent as Mia Grayling, Zak Douglas as Jamil Al-Rashid, Gregory Paul Canestrari as Alessandro Bertoli, Geoffrey Breton as Piers de Vreese, Vincent Ebrahim as Captain Gregory Jennings, Charlie Hardwick as Brenda Donnelly, Nigel Betts as Tony Donnelly, Nikolai Tsankov as Yuval Goldmann and Ricci Jean Phillippe as Pascal Lavigne.

What have Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldesley starred in together before?

Keen viewers will know that Ward and Tyldesley have acted together before prior to the crime drama.

They worked together on ITV soap Coronation Street in the 2010s, playing lovers Aidan Connor and Eva Price. They were due to get married, but then Price found out that Connor had been cheating on her for a year.

She later found out she was pregnant with her ex-fiance’s baby and gave birth to a daughter called Susie. They never reconciled, however, and the both left the soap in 2018.

What is the plot of The Good Ship Murder series 2?

In similarity to the first series, the second series will follow former detective turned cruise ship singer Jack Grayling and first officer Kate Woods as they solve murders on board a cruise ship.

Prentiss Fraser, from Fifth Season who produces the show, said: "The Good Ship Murder really delivers on exactly what buyers around the world are looking for right now – it's long-running, set in beautiful and sun-filled locations, and offers a light-hearted, cosy procedural with a twist."

"We knew the show was destined to sail straight into the hearts of audiences and become a fan-favourite, returnable series – and we're now looking forward to bringing fresh mysteries to our existing partners all around the world, plus more to come in the territories where we’re continuing to field offers."

Where was The Good Ship Murder series 2 filmed?

Again, just like the first series, the second series of the show was filmed on a real cruise ship. As a result, some of the extras are real fee-paying passengers who asked to be involved in filming.

The Good Ship Murder was filmed on a real luxury cruise ship, the MSC Virtuosa, first launched in 2021. The 331 metre long ship has a crew of 1,700 with 2,444 cabins over 14 decks which can accommodate up to 6,300 passengers.

MSC Virtuosa cost around €800 million and often sails from Southampton for cruises around the British Isles and Mediterranean. It boasts 21 bars, five swimming pools, oh, and a humanoid robotic bartender.

What was the real life tragedy that happened on The Good Ship Murder cruise?

A woman died after going falling overboard from the cruise ship in October.

The French coastguard said at the time that it received a “man overboard distress message” shortly after midnight on Saturday October 12, from the MSC Virtuosa and a French navy helicopter H160 based in Maupertus, Normandy, was scrambled for the rescue mission.

It was supported by an offshore rescue vessel from Goury, Normandy, along with a RNLI lifeboat from Alderney and a Channel Islands Air Search plane. A French coastguard spokesman said the navy helicopter recovered the woman from the water but she was pronounced dead.

A MSC Cruises spokeswoman said at the time: “A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton. The body was later recovered with the involvement of the authorities. We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further details.”

It is thought that The Good Ship Murder series 2 had already been filmed at the time of the tragedy, as it is thought it was filmed during the summer school holiday time in July and August - just like the first series.

What time is The Good Ship Murder series 2 on TV?

The Good Ship Murder is airing tonight (Friday January 10) on Channel 5 at 9pm. There are eight episodes in the series, with each one airing in the same time slot each week. Episodes are available to watch on My5 shortly after they have first aired.

You can also catch up on all episodes of the first series now on My5.