Van the Man returns to our screens with a 21st century twist

Former Hustle star Marc Warren takes on the role of moody blond hero Simon 'Piet' Van Der Valk in the 21st century reboot of the old favourite on ITV at 8pm tomorrow.

The title role was played by Barry Foster in the original series, which pulled in huge viewing figures during its run from 1972 to 1992. The original series was remembered for its gritty plots surrounding murder, prostitution and drug crime, all being carried out to the picturesque backdrop of historic Amsterdam.

But don't expect Warren to be sporting a roll-neck jumper or chomping on a fat cigar, as the character has been re-imagined to reflect modern times.

Black Country television historian Chris Perry says the series was a natural candidate for a remake, and was surprised that nobody had done it earlier.

"I think given the beautiful location, and the fantastic plots of the original series, I'm not surprised at all they are bringing it back," he says.

"When you think of the demographic of people who watch television these days, particularly linear TV, it is mainly the over-40s, so Van Der Valk will be right up their street."

Chris says broadcasters in the Netherlands had since produced their own adaptation of the series.

But Chris says storylines will be crucial to whether or not the series was able to replicate the success of the original.

"A lot of TV today is very character-driven, and the plot is almost the last thing they think of," says Chris.

He says a case in point is some of the recent episodes of Doctor Who: "The characterisation is beautifully written, but the plots are complete and utter rubbish, certainly not enough to sustain a 45-minute programme," he says.

There will be three episodes in the new series of Van Der Valk, which has been made by British-based All3media in partnership with American broadcaster PBS and Germany's ARD Degeto, and will also be screened in the US, Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Perhaps demonstrating the changing times, Van Der Valk will this time be partnered with sharp-witted female sidekick Maimie McCoy, played by Lucienne Hassall. This contrasts with earlier episodes, when Van Der Valk was supported by naive young Inspecteur Johnny Kroon, played by Michael Latimer who also appeared in The Sweeney.

While the original Van Der Valk tended to operate as something of a lone wolf, occasionally turning to the put-upon Brigadier Stribos to perform the more menial duties, the new detective will have a large supporting team.

But there has been no mention about a return for Van Der Valk's fuddy-duddy boss, Hoofd-Commissaris Samson, who frequently clashed with the main man over his unconventional methods. It is also not clear whether there will be a return of Van Der Valk's long-suffering French wife Arlette, who often bore the brunt of her husband's frustrations.

Chris Perry says while there are the inevitable risks of unfavourable comparisons with the much-loved original, this will not necessarily be a bar to its success.

"Yes, there may be some people who will say he's not as good as Barry Foster, there are many people who will never have seen the other version," he says. "They will have nothing to compare it to."

One thing Chris hopes the new series will retain from the original is Jack Trombey's catchy theme tune Eye Level. Played by the Simon Park Orchestra, it spend four weeks at No. 1 in 1973.

"The theme tune was immensely successful, and helped with the success of the programme," he says. "It will be very interesting to see if they keep that."