Midsomer Murders star Annette Badland has revealed she is staying put on the ITV drama for at least another four series amid speculation about her future.
Recent odds suggested that the 74-year-old's five-year stint as pathologist Dr Fleur Perkins could be coming to an end in favour of Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire taking over.
Addressing the odds, the actress said while she believes a new pathologist could come onto the scene, she hopes to stay for as long as possible for a personal reason.
After she was viciously trolled for displaying her white hair during lockdown, the actress said it's more important than ever to see older women on screen.
"That's why I like doing Midsomer because Fleur is an older woman with a brain, a good career, a sex life, a Harley Davidson, a black Jag convertible and can send the lads up.
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ITV)"So, I think that's a good message to put out because we are still a potent force.
"I am a part of an army, a whole generation of women who can do stuff later in life and you know we shouldn't be ignored, we have stories to tell."
Reflecting on how she got the role, Annette insisted she saved the day behind-the-scenes after another actor fell unwell.
"I don't know which pathologist it was, but under his [Guy Hescott's] term, he said the pathologist, the actor, was poorly and couldn't come in.
"They were going 'Oh God, we've got to shoot the scenes, how are we going to get around [it]?'"
After somebody suggested "a fax machine" with details to be read out, Annette shared of the former producer's response: "He said, 'I knew I wanted a pathologist who couldn't be replaced by a fax machine'.
"So Fleur came about because she was more colourful and right than I think anyone had been previously."
She added: "As I say, I really enjoy it because you never know. I love that they don't know if she's telling the truth, and she may or may not be.
"Some is true, in my head some is true, some isn't and she's just pushing boundaries and going 'will you buy this?'"
In a humorous swipe at her on-screen colleagues, she added: "[It's exciting] and clever to play a woman who, basically she solves the crimes, they're hopeless those boys."
Midsomer Murders continues tonight at 8pm on ITV1.
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