(upbeat music) - I think when they were developing this show, it could have been that Van der Valk was off on his own, and it was just this detective and he had his team and whatever, and it could have gone more that way, more of a kind of singular kinda route.

But we didn't go that route.

We went more than that.

It really was a team.

It really was a family.

- I think there's a confidence with those relationships that we've got around us, and there's some lovely new dynamics coming along.

I think with Azan playing Eddie, I think it feels like they've got a...

I feel like their relationship has built up off camera.

So the time that's passed, they've become closer as a working kind of unit.

What about next of kin?

- Ah, family live abroad, but Danielle Panoff... We are a bit of a dysfunctional family in "Van der Valk," but one that rallies together, and you see that, especially in this season.

(upbeat music) (table thuds) (glass clinking) The thing with Eddie is he doesn't really have a mentor figure, and that's where Van der Valk comes in.

He's almost like this big brother he didn't have.

And he coaches him, mentors him, and allows him to grow as a policeman and as a person.

(fists bump) (upbeat music) - And Lucienne is, I think, Julia likes to think that she was a bit like her when she was starting out.

I spoke to a special forces veteran who worked undercover with Michael Becker.

You are right.

It's a fake name.

I like to think of Julia as a sort of stern auntie, but underneath, you know, she'd like a good drink and a dance, and really surprise you when you needed it.

If you want me to cut you some slack, I need to be kept in the loop.

Non-negotiable.

Okay?

- You know, as a character, Van der Valk, he kind of prioritizes that family above everything else, really.

And that becomes quite integral to the storyline in this season.

(upbeat music)