Did Frances de la Tour Leave 'Professor T'? Rumors Spark Worries Among Fans

There are some characters who steal our hearts in shows. Or maybe they traumatize us a little. Either way, they may not be the main character, or even particularly popular, but they're the ones we wonder about. For PBS's series Professor T, a lot of people consider this to be the case with Adelaide Tempest, Ben Miller's mother, played by the indomitable Frances de la Tour.

But as Season 4 approached in August 2025 on PBS, rumors began swirling that the matriarch was leaving Professor T, leaving many fans wondering why she would go. Here's what we know about her role in the future of Professor T.

We all know that Adelaide is hiding some pretty big secrets, but do one of those secrets include a departure from the show? A rumor started during the Summer of 2025 that Frances would be leaving the series.

However, it doesn't seem like there's any validity to the rumors.

Frances returned to the series for Season 4, and did not seem to give any indication that she was planning on leaving.

Fans argued that there's every possibility that something happened to her character on Season 4, forcing her departure through a plot line.

In February 2025, The Irish Sun reported that ITV had announced plans for Season 4, and while they included romance and ever-complex relationships between Adelaide and Ben, not to mention the addition of Adelaide's sister, there was no mention of Frances leaving the series.

British TV also reports that Season 5 has been commissioned, and Frances will be a part of it. So, for now, that rumor can be marked "untrue."

With Season 4 going strong and bringing it more fans than ever, it's testament to the fact that the show has managed to thrive in an unusual locale. The series, which followers the format of a British crime drama, is playing well among American audiences, which has proven to be an increasingly available playing field for British directors and actors.

There was a time when British television was considered "stuffy," and British humor was considered "odd" and "too deadpan" for American audiences. However, with the advent of series like Professor T, Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife, and others, American audiences are increasingly warming to the different cadences of British dramas.

If you do a quick search on the internet, you'll see some conflicting results: One outlet (The Wrap) mentions that American interest in British television is waning, while another (The Observer) celebrates the rate at which American audiences embrace British television. So what's the truth?

The proof is in the pudding.

Professor T and other shows which stray from the formulaic mystery/cop drama of American television have been doing well, and people seem eager to embrace the relative calm and cerebral nature of British drama.

Whether or not this will last remains to be seen, but Professor T grew in a niche and seems poised to continue to flourish for years to come.