New Tricks Amanda: 'It'd be nice to have a woman to talk to!'

Amanda Redman tells us about the return of New Tricks, which returns to BBC1 on Friday, Sept 10...

Are you happy to return as Sandra for a new series of New Tricks?
“Yes I have so much fun. It’s strange because I never wanted to be involved with a long running series, it never interested me. But we have a ball, it’s not work.”

Do you miss female company – you’re the only regular female in the cast?
"I do. I love my cast mates, James Bolam, Dennis Waterman, and Alun Armstrong, but it’d be nice to have another woman there to talk about something other than golf!"

How do we find Sandra at the start of the new series?
"She met her half brother Tom at the end of the last series. The first episode deals with that. He’s back and their relationship is very strained and awkward. They have a lot to sort out."

In the first episode Sandra visit a psychic. Have you ever visited one?
"I did visit a psychic many, many years ago and it unnerved me because this person knew something about me that wasn’t in the public domain and I couldn’t understand how they knew it. This was pre-Google so I was very spooked. I did not go back. "

Are you happy to keep coming back and doing the show or are you planning to move on soon?
"I have committed do doing one more series and beyond that there are things that I want to do. Nothing I can talk about though!"