An appetite for crime

Roger Allam plays a food- and wine-loving crime investigator in southern France…

Endeavour star Roger Allam swaps the spires of Oxford for the balmy climes of southern France in this Britbox crime drama. He plays food- and wine-loving investigating judge Antoine Verlaque, who works in and around the city of Aix-en-provence, where he looks into a range of complex crimes before they come to court. ‘His job is a bit like a detective, but he’s not a detective. He gathers all the information and presents the case, but from both sides, not just the prosecution or the defence,’ explains Roger. ‘He’s very proud to be a judge and a servant of the state for the public good.’

Romantic connection

Antoine’s chaotic but sharp-eyed girlfriend, criminal psychologist Marine Bonnet (Father Brown’s Nancy Carroll), shares her expertise with him during his investigations and, as the series progresses, she becomes an official consultant to the police. ‘They’ve both had tragedy and difficulties in their lives, but they’ve found a balance with each other; they make each other laugh,’ says Roger. ‘When they start officially working together, there’s a lot of banter between them.’

Antoine also liaises with shrewd Deputy Police Commissioner Hélène Paulik

(Keala Settle). While they investigate a murder at a university in the first episode, the trio also delve into a killing at a chateau and examine a possible connection between two women’s deaths. ‘The opener is set in a medieval history department, where the professor is murdered. And in the crumbling chateau, there’s a story of family inheritance,’ teases Roger. ‘Aix is a beautiful city but we’re dealing with the underbelly of this postcard-y beauty…’