Van der Valk was a hugely successful ITV detective series set in Amsterdam.
It ran for two decades up to 1992, only to then be rebooted in 2020 with a new cast.
Here we take a look at the original and new cast, if there will be a new series and more…
Read more: Viewers slam ITV’s Van Der Valk reboot
Who starred in the original Van der Valk?
The original Van der Valk starred Barry Foster as Commissaris Simon “Piet” Van der Valk.
Sadly he passed away aged 70 in 2002.
Additional stars included Michael Latimer as Inspector Johnny Croon and Susan Travers as Arlette Van der Valk (Simon’s French wife).
As the series continued, his wife was played by two additional actresses – Joanna Dunham and then Meg Davies for the series revival from 1991-1992.
The series were based on the novels by Nicolas Freeling.
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It focused on the then gritty atmosphere of Amsterdam rather than the exact plots of the novels.
Casework often involved exploring crimes centred around prostitution, drug deals and murder.
The show’s chirpy and catchy theme tune was in great contrast to its dark plots.
It is often hailed as a predecessor to the current trend for Nordic noir dramas.
When was the series rebooted?
The series was rebooted in 2020.
Starring Marc Warren, it aired across April and May 2020.
Who is in the new Van der Valk on ITV?
Marc Warren stars at the famous detective, while Maimie McCoy stars as his highly capable partner.
You may recognise Marc from his past roles in Hustle, Band of Brothers, Flack, Safe and State of Play.
Maimie is best known for her roles in White House Farm, A Confession, The Musketeers and DCI Banks.
The first series consisted of just three episodes.
ITV described the series as: “Van der Valk centres on the investigations of detective Piet Van der Valk in and around the city of Amsterdam as he investigates a series of high profile cases.
“This season Van der Valk and his team are immersed in the worlds of art, politics, addiction, mysticism and the fashion industry.”
What were the Van der Valk 2020 reviews like?
The reboot of Van der Valk received somewhat mixed reviews.
Indeed, some reviewers said it lacked the oomph and strong cast of the original series.
The Independent argued: “The Dutch capital is captured here in all its tawdry beauty, but plot contrivances and a distracting lead make this Seventies re-hash a hard sell.”
While the Scotsman savaged the reboot with: “Even after half an hour the show was looking like generic detective mush, only with added canals.
“I didn’t understand why ITV had revived VDV because, despite the waterways, it didn’t feel very Amsterdam. Unless the Head of Drama had simply got bored with the same South London lock-ups and the usual rolling Yorkshire hills and ordered his locations team to find somewhere new.”
However, not everyone was so unconvinced as The Times gave it four stars out of five.
Yet the reviewer still concluded with: “The writing was mostly sound and Warren has enough heft to lure me back.
“Whether it will succeed in this slot for ITV in the same way that Endeavour did is another question.”
Will there be a series two?
Yes there will be a second series. However, filming was temporarily delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
As of yet an air date for series two of Van der Valk has not been confirmed or announced by ITV.
So will you be watching? Let us know on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.