Exclusive: Freema Agyeman and Harriet Walter will not be returning for the recently announced seventh season of ITV1’s drama series Law & Order: UK.
Both actresses have been with the series since it launched in 2009, with Agyeman playing junior Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips and Walter playing Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler. It is understood that the reason for the departure of both Agyeman and Walter was due to a clash between the production schedule for Law & Order: UK and prior professional commitments of both actresses. I understand that on Freema Agyeman’s part that professional commitment was to The CW’s upcoming Sex and the City prequel series The Carrie Diaries which is slated for a mid-season launch in the United States.
Given the loss of both actresses, Kudos have begun the process of casting a new young, prosecutor and Detective Chief Inspector for the show’s eight episode seventh season, which is due to enter production in November. All other remaining cast members, including Bradley Walsh, Paul Nicholls, Dominic Rowan and Peter Davison will return for the new season, which is due to air on ITV1 in 2013.
