Fresh Fields actress Julia McKenzie has landed the role of Miss Marple in ITV's crime drama series.

The 67-year-old star takes over from Geraldine McEwan in the famous detective show, which is adapted from the novels of Agatha Christie.

Stars including Grace Fields, Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury and Joan Hickson have played Miss Marple in the past.

Talking about her role, McKenzie said: "I'm very excited, but also slightly daunted by the enormous responsibility that comes with taking on such an iconic role.

"Just about everybody in the world knows about Miss Marple and has an opinion of what she should be like, so I'm under no illusions about the size of the task ahead."

Laura Mackie, ITV's director of drama. commented: "Julia McKenzie will bring another dimension to a classic character, and I hope the public are as excited as I am to see her bring her own unique interpretation to one of fiction's most well-loved detectives."

McKenzie will begin shooting A Pocketful of Rye later this month.