CAMERA crews are set to invade the streets of Darwen again as filming begins on a second series of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.

The first series of the detective drama is being screened on BBC1 at 9.30pm on Wednesdays. The first three episodes pulled in an average of 10.5 million viewers.

Now the cast and production crew are looking forward to their return to the town to start shooting the second series.

Most of the Darwen filming centres around a house at East Park Avenue - the home and business address of Hetty, alias actress Patricia Routledge.

The middle-aged woman has formed a detective agency with her teenage sidekick Geoffrey - played by Dominic Monaghan - after discovering life begins at 60! With the help of Hetty's husband Robert - Derek Benfield - the trio solve an intriguing series of crimes making use of the Robert's redundancy money to fund their off-beat adventures.

Liz Kellend, the BBC's publicist for the programme said: "Everyone is looking forward to getting back to Darwen, because they really enjoyed the hospitality they received last year.

"The first two episodes will be filmed in Darwen and another village location which hasn't been decided up on yet.

Much of the filming in the first episode will centre on the now closed Lodges Supermarket in Railway Road, where Geoffrey worked stacking shelves.

She said: "The filming centres around different scripts, which will often take the cast into other areas of Lancashire.

"The village of Sabden was used for the last series, but we do not know yet if we will be going there again as I have only seen the first two scripts."

The only hindrance to the early filming is the cold weather which has been ravaging East Lancashire.

Liz said: "We are hoping the severe weather conditions will not interfere with filming when it begins again this month."

The second series of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates will be screened this time next year.

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