British actor Tom Burke is back from his foray in Hollywood, where he recently starred as the leading man Praetorian Jack in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and has returned to the BBC Studios for series seven of the beloved detective series, Strike.
Catching up with HELLO! on the red carpet at Paddington the Musical, the 44-year-old opened up about the new series as well as his bond with his co-star and on-screen love interest, Holliday Grainger.
"It's about a cult," he said when asked if there was anything he could share about the new series. Adding that the silkworm series was his favourite, he has filmed. "I'm not entirely sure why, except I just remember both of us really enjoyed that one," he said.
As for his bond with Holliday, who portrays headstrong private investigator, Robin Ellacott, Tom said their relationship is "blossoming."
"It's blossoming evermore each year, and she really makes me laugh," he said. See the interview above.
As for what it's like going from the bright lights of a Hollywood set back to his gritty detective roots, Tom explained: "They were both places where you could be very free and brave and nuanced, so, yeah, more, more, more of an overlap than you might think."
What is the Running Grave about?
Strike fans will no doubt be heavily anticipating the return of the ex-militarian detective, and this series is set to be a good one with Strike and Robin investigating Universal Humanitarian Church (UHC), a sinister religious cult in Norfolk.
The series sees Robin go undercover after a worried father, Sir Colin Edensor, hires her and Strike to find his son, Will, who has joined the cult. Robin, under a guise, enters the cult's headquarters, a former commune called Chapman Farm, to gather information while Strike investigates the cult's history.
Robin faces significant danger as she uncovers the organisation's criminal activities, including abuse, starvation, and even murder, all under the control of the charismatic leader Jonathan Wace.