PASADENA, Calif. -- Fans rejoice -- Robbie Coltrane is back as criminal psychologist "Fitz" Fitzgerald in an all new BBC America movie, Cracker: A New Terror (airing Oct. 30 in the States; likely early '07 on BBC Canada). The post 9/11 storyline deals with global terrorism, Northern Ireland and one man's inner demons.

Coltrane, who just wrapped his scenes on the fifth Harry Potter movie, told critics yesterday that it took about "10 seconds" to get back under Fitz's skin even though it had been a decade since the last Cracker movie. "I wish I was as smart as he is but we're roughly the same size," Coltrane cracked.

Coltrane shared the stage with series' creator Jimmy McGovern; a bottle of champagne sat half empty at their table during the lunch time session. The two went on and on about the old, black and white American TV shows they grew up watching in the UK, shows like Wagon Train and Highway Patrol.

Coltrane praised McGovern, saying that if Martians came down from the sky and wanted to understand Earthlings, "you'd hand them Shakespeare and a Jimmy McGovern script."

Asked if he had seen the NBC drama Medium, which features a vaugely similar premise (Patricia Arquette plays a psychic who aids police investigations), Coltrane raised an eyebrow, paused for effect and said, "there's astrology and there's psychology, okay?"


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