Ian Kelsey plays DI Richard Mayne
You play DI Richard Mayne. For people new to Blue Murder, tell us about his character?
He cut his teeth in the Greater Manchester Police force but then moved away for personal reasons. He’s now back in the city. While he’s been away, Janine has moved up the ladder and he finds himself under her management, which is the fuel for some playful sexual chemistry. This has been ongoing throughout the five years of Blue Murder, but is now fading away as Janine finds a new love interest.
In this series, Richard has a health scare and it affects his work. Tell us about the situation he finds himself in
Testicular cancer is a very current issue to tackle and I think we’ve done it very well. Richard feels he’s part of one of the best teams on the force and wants to work his way up and so doesn’t want to jeopardise his career. His mind is elsewhere and it’s noted.
Lisa (Rhea Bailey) is a new permanent member of the team. How do Richard and Lisa get on?
He takes Lisa under his wing, as does everyone on the team. She’s the apprentice and they’re not going easy on her. This year Lisa’s character is more than the tea maker she was in the last series and she’s now an integral part in the investigations.
What cases do the Blue Murder team investigate this series?
There’s an interesting episode where we have to work closely with the Military Police, during which we meet our counterparts in the army and there’s a clash of cultures. We don’t work with the same boundaries the army do and when we’re told we have to stay on the base we don’t take too kindly to it.
Were you shocked by any of the storylines?
It’s never nice to see the scene of the crime. There’s only so far we can go, but we’re still investigating murders and this has to be portrayed in a very realistic way.
How do you make sure Blue Murder portrays each murder investigation realistically?
I originally spent a day with an officer from the police force. I got a feeling for the job and how the relationships worked between the ranks. I kept my eye on the way the officer talked and related to people at work.
