ITV crime drama Professor T comes to Jesus College

A new crime drama partly set in Jesus College will have its premiere on ITV this Sunday night. 

Starring Ben Miller and Frances de la Tour, the six-part drama focuses on Professor Jasper Tempest, a genius criminologist who becomes an advisor to the police.

Viewers won’t have to wait long to spot a Jesus College location: the opening shot was filmed on our football pitch. The College’s exteriors are shown as the fictional ‘Cambridge University Department of Forensic Criminology’ while Little Trinity, which now accommodates postgraduate students, is the family home of Professor T himself. 

Ben Miller plays the title character. He said: “The house that Professor T grew up in is a house I know really well. It’s part of Jesus College and it’s where one of my good friends from university lived, who I wrote my first comedy sketches with. He lived in the house in a room on the ground floor, which is the room we filmed outside. It was properly strange playing scenes going through the door there, when 30 years ago I was doing the same thing.”

Those familiar with West Court might be able to recognise the Bawden Room in a high-end restaurant scene, and the West Court Dining Room houses an art exhibition in one episode.

Eagle Eye Drama shot some of the series at Jesus College in September and December 2020, with some students and staff members taking roles as extras. The production company worked closely with the College to put strict COVID protocols in place. 

Professor T starts on Sunday 18 July at 9pm on ITV.