The actor makes his first appearance as Nelson in this year’s Christmas special, replacing Jason Hughes who played DS Ben Jones for more than 50 episodes.

Lee commented: “DS Nelson is from the city and he finds village life and the pace a bit different, it’s daunting how everyone knows everyone else’s business. He comes in with lots of police jargon and tends to talk too much. He likes green tea and is a bit of a health freak, getting up at 6am to go for a run. He’s a modern guy – he can cook and keep the house tidy and look after himself.”

He also revealed that viewers should expect plenty of action from Nelson: “I have jumped into my first freezing river, it was the coldest, windiest, wettest day since we started filming, but I had layers of thermals on and a wetsuit and my clothes over that. The wardrobe department were on hand with hot water bottles and big overcoats so I was well looked after.”

He explained: “There is a piece of evidence floating in the river so Nelson dives straight in. It’s a bit of a trait of his, he follows his nose and trusts his instinct. I love the outdoor life – cycling, running and climbing up mountains – so I’m trying to get in as much action as possible. I also love playing cricket so I hope they will write that into the series.”

In ‘The Christmas Haunting’, the first of five new two-hour episodes, Nelson arrives in Midsomer and is thrown straight into a murder investigation when a man is stabbed during a ghost-hunting party at a ‘haunted’ manor house.

Teasing Nelson’s debut, Lee revealed: “He arrives in Midsomer quite close to Christmas and unbeknown to the rest of the characters is living in a hotel. Suddenly they realise that he has no-one to stay with over the Christmas period so Kate invites him to become her lodger.”

He added: “At the beginning of the series, the characters are trying to work each other out. Barnaby knocks the jargon out of him but Nelson is still quite orderly. Neil has been great to work with, he puts so much into the role but has time for everyone on set and there’s always a twinkle in his eye. It’s like joining a big family, all the cast and crew have been very welcoming.”

‘The Christmas Haunting’ airs at 8pm on Tuesday 24 December on ITV and the remaining four episodes of the new series will air in 2014.

Are you looking forward to the arrival of DS Charlie Nelson? Let us know below…