John Thomson promises "major" storylines for 'Cold Feet'.

John Thomson

John Thomson

The 49-year-old star - who plays Pete Gifford in the comedy drama - is optimistic about the eighth series of the show, which will be the third season since it returned to the small screen in 2016.

Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, he said: "Series six was fantastic. Seven was a bit like 'that difficult second album', a bit of a slow-burn.

"But this one is fantastic, very strong. I can't say much, but two really major things happen."

While John has his own opinions about the previous series, he received high praise and awards for his character's depression storyline.

He admitted: "That was very kind. I didn't anticipate any of that. I just wanted to do a decent job as an actor."

His alter ego Pete is a firm favourite with viewers, and the actor has suggested it's because people see someone they can relate to.

He explained: "I think that's because he's kind of hapless and fallible. People identify with fallibility."

The new episodes were originally meant to air before the end of 2018, but James Nesbitt - who will be back with John and their co-stars Hermione Norris, Robert Bathurst and Fay Ripley - previously confirmed it will be back on ITV next month.

He said: "We've just finished series 8, very excited, and that will be coming along next year."

The actor also suggested the popular show could run for another two seasons, and admitted he'd love to revisit the characters further down the line for another revival.

He added: "Hopefully we'll do it for another year or two. The idea would be great to bring it back when we're all 70. It'll be good to see what happens at that age."