PROFESSOR T RETURNS TO ITV THIS FEBRUARY FOR FOURTH SERIES, FIRST LOOK IMAGES AND EPISODE DETAILS

The fourth series of ITV drama Professor T, which was originally due to air last Autumn, will launch this February on ITV1 and ITVX.

Ben Miller (Bridgerton, Death in Paradise) returns to play Cambridge’s illustrious Professor Jasper Tempest, whilst Frances de la Tour (Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, The History Boys), also reprises her role as the Professor’s mother Adelaide Tempest and they are joined by Zoe Wanamaker (Shadow and Bone, My Family) as her sister, and the Professor’s aunt, Zelda Radclyffe, while Juliet Stevenson (Emma, Truly Madly Deeply) returns as psychologist Dr Helena Goldberg.

Barney White (Against the Law), Sunetra Sarker (Playing Nice, Casualty), and Rhian Blundell (Vampire Academy, Nobody Girl), who play Detective Dan Winters, DCI Maiya Goswami, and Detective Chloe Highsmith respectively, will also return.

Episode 1 - Overboard

Six months since the devastating Season 3 finale and Jasper is still in torment, unable to face police work. His therapist, Helena, is sad to see all his progress has been undone. Dan is desperately throwing himself into work, refusing to let his mind spiral into grief and finding Jasper’s absence frustrating. Adelaide has left to travel the world and Jasper's Aunt Zelda has come to look after Adelaide’s home and dog, Kafka.

Jasper and the Dean are surprised by Zelda’s reappearance, especially as Zelda is an old flame of the Dean. Zelda asks the Dean out but when an awkward Dean ends up standing her up, she meets another man called Peter Snares.

Maiya meanwhile hires a new recruit, the overexcitable DC Chloe Highsmith. As Dan, Chloe and Maiya struggle to tackle a tricky case involving the disappearance of a young woman on a luxury yacht, Jasper is forced to get involved against his better judgment. Dan and Jasper are made to work together leading to tensions between the two men growing.

Episode 2 – September Gardens

Jasper is dragged along to a retirement home by Zelda to meet a new man she’s dating, Peter. After dealing with the horror of realising Peter is Ms. Snares’ father however, Jasper is shocked when a murder takes place at the home. Jasper can’t help being drawn into the investigation but Dan, who is also working on the case, finds this frustrating.

Unable to keep a lid on it, Dan finally lets his resentment to Jasper pour out as they discuss the case. Seeing this, Maiya insists that Jasper and Dan attend a therapy session together.

During this session, Helena helps the men to open up and eventually come together as Jasper suggests that Dan attend his lectures like Lisa once did. Though it’s small steps, we see the men finally work together as they successfully solve the case and catch the killer, who is motivated by empathy. Meanwhile, the Dean learns of Zelda’s new man and finds himself put out, knowing he should have seized the moment.

Episode 3 – The Inspection

Maiya is determined to get a spate of local burglaries under control, but when a school inspector is found murdered in their home, having called the police just minutes before and with a number of items stolen, the team assume this is yet another burglary that’s gone wrong. But as Jasper, Dan, Chloe and Maiya investigate, they discover some odd and calculated things about the murder.

Ms. Snares starts her own investigation when she notices similarities between Jasper and the Dean and starts to wonder if the Dean might be Jasper’s real father. Ms. Snares collects DNA from both men with neither of them knowing. Finally, Helena learns that Jasper is also seeking therapeutical help from in the form of drumming. When Helena meets his drum teacher, Lydia, she finds herself slightly ruffled that Jasper is reaching out to others. Helena and Jasper come to blows when Helena accuses Jasper for not facing up to the mark that Lisa’s death has left on him.

Episode 4 – You Can’t Kill Me

Jasper is mulling over the ‘lovers’ tarot card that Zelda drew for him, but is forced to take his mind off this as he and the police team are called to investigate an actress stabbed on stage by a switched prop knife. With the director’s daughter also having been attacked and in hospital, the team worry that the murderer will come back to finish her off.

Whilst Dan and Jasper investigate, Chloe gets herself into trouble by overstepping her mark with the daughter and nearly putting herself and the girl in danger. Helena also knows the family who are involved in the case, so Jasper reaches out to her for help and we see Helena start to open up to Jasper about her own life. Zelda and Peter continue their relationship, but the Dean reaches out to Zelda and they share a moment. There’s also a spark in the air for Ms Snares as when she goes to drop off the DNA sample, she meets an old flame, Professor Lyndon Collins, who is back working at the university.

Episode 5 – The Perfect Murder

Adelaide’s painting is vandalised by an environmental rights group but when the gallery owner is killed after being attacked with the same paint, Jasper and the team realise this is far more than an act of environmental vandalism. Helena opens up about her vulnerabilities as she talks to her therapist about Jasper, revealing her feelings might go deeper than therapist and client. Jasper also faces struggles when Ms. Snares admits about the DNA test she conducted. Jasper agonises over whether to open the results or not and turns to Helena for support.

But eventually the Dean puts Jasper straight, explaining he isn’t his father. Despite this news, Jasper and the Dean come together, realising that their relationship has always been father and son anyway. The Dean opens up to Jasper about his history and feelings for Zelda and gets his advice. Hearing that Peter is planning to propose to Zelda, the Dean races to stop Zelda and Peter getting engaged and ends up proposing to her himself.

Episode 6 – The Warrior Gene

In the run up to Wilfred and Zelda’s wedding, Jasper is wrestling with his feelings for Helena. Dan is stunned by a new case where he sees a dying man admit he killed someone. Whilst Dan and Chloe try to track down who’s been killed, Maiya thinks they are going on a wild goose chase, concerned this is about Dan’s grief over Lisa. Zelda has second thoughts about the wedding but when Jasper explains to her that ‘love is enough’, he realises his feelings for Helena and invites her to Zelda’s wedding.

Ms. Snares takes Jasper to Lyndon Collins’ lecture on the warrior gene and Jasper is intrigued by something Collins says about the case Dan is investigating. On the day of the wedding and Lisa’s memorial event, Jasper uses the case to get Dan to open up about Lisa and gain the strength to attend her memorial. After helping Dan, Jasper returns to Zelda and Wilfred’s wedding and is thrilled when Helena appears. Helena spots Jasper has finally removed his gloves; it’s clear he’s come a long way.

Meanwhile, ITV have also confirmed a fifth series has been commissioned. With six brand new episodes featuring some unexpected new relationships and more complex crimes for the Professor and police unit to tackle; including a boxing match that takes a bloody turn and a series of inexplicable sudden deaths at an upmarket spa, many favourite characters will face some tough choices, and the stakes for Professor T and his team have never been higher.

Ben Miller said: “I’m beyond thrilled that we will soon be breaking ground on a fifth series of Professor T. Working with such a talented cast and crew is a joy that even a heavy woollen suit can’t stifle, and I can’t wait for audiences to see the treats we’ve got in store for them in Series 4, when the Professor tackles his most baffling case yet: romance...

"The fact that audiences worldwide have embraced the show so warmly is hugely rewarding, and we’re already brimming with ideas to make Series 5 even more quirky, heartfelt, and surprising. Here’s to another season of baffling crime, dreaming spires, and ironing that tweed…”

Previous series of Professor T are available to stream now on ITVX.