Midsomer Murders star Neil Dudgeon has said he'll remain as the crime drama's lead until he gets "the hook".
Speaking to the Radio Times, the actor opened up about his future on the show as he revealed that filming for season 25 will commence in March.
When asked if he has any plans to move on from the long-running show, the 64-year-old said: "No, I assume that at some point I'll get the hook. You know, the hook will all come and sort of drag me off into the wings and they won't want me anymore.
"But they haven't done it yet, so I'm going to keep going to work until I get the hook," added the star, who plays DCI John Barnaby in the drama.
© ITVNeil also gave an exciting update on the upcoming 25th series, which will consist of four stories. While he doesn't know when the episodes will arrive on our screens, filming will begin in the coming months.
'I don't know when it's next being broadcast, but we start filming again at the end of March for season 25, so it goes on," explained the actor. "We've had a year off this year. We didn't film this year, but last year. But we are filming again this year. We're filming four new stories from March this year."
© ITVBack in November, Neil was quizzed about what keeps him coming back season after season.
"If you're going to do what I do, if you're going to make TV shows, it's just great. The wonderful guests, the amazing stories," he told ITV's This Morning. "The central thing about the show is something happens in a rural location and two policemen turn up to check it out and once you've got that basic formula, you can do anything with it.
"There are only four regular characters in it, so you've got mostly a new cast every time," he continued, adding: "So you think this is Midsomer but within that, it's a completely reinvented show every time we do it."
© ITVNeil has starred in the show since 2010, taking over from John Nettles' 14-year stint as DCI Tom Barnaby.
Opening up about his decision to leave the drama, John told The Telegraph in 2009: "I suddenly realised that I'm going to be the oldest detective in the business now that David Jason has thrown off the mantle. But it was a very difficult decision to make."
© Tony Ward/TV Times/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesHe continued: "I'll have been doing Midsomer Murders for 14 years by the time Barnaby leaves. I've formed familial ties with the people involved in the show and they will be hard to break. It's always wise to leave people wanting more, rather than be booed off the stage because you bored them."
Midsomer Murders is available to watch on ITVX.
