Former West Yorkshire detective Bob Bridgestock, now a successful crime writer, is to offer his expertise to a top TV cop show.

Bob, a retired detective superintendent, and his wife, Carol, have been appointed as consultants for the fourth series of the hit ITV crime drama Scott & Bailey.

They will work behind the scenes as consultants on storylines and police procedures.

Scott & Bailey, which stars Amelia Bullmore, Suranne Jones and Lesley Sharp, pulled in an audience of 7.1 million viewers for the last programme of the third series.

Bob and Carol, originally from Brighouse, have already worked as advisers for a BBC1 six-part crime drama, Happy Valley, to be screened later this year.

The husband and wife writers, who use the pen name RC Bridgestock, are behind a series of best-selling crime novels featuring the character Detective Inspector Jack Dylan, which is set in a fictional Yorkshire town but based on their real-life experiences.

Mr Bridgestock handled dozens of murder inquiries. His wife worked in a civilian role, and between them they clocked up 47 years’ service with West Yorkshire Police.

Their first book, Deadly Focus, now has foreign rights in South Korea, and they have interest in their books from Turkey, Sweden and Italy.

Their latest novel, Snow Kills, is launched in November, and they are holding a story-writing competition in Brighouse to tie in with it.

Mr Bridgestock said: “It’s fantastic to be part of Scott & Bailey – it’s the one cop series I watch.

“We had been working on Happy Valley and then we were asked to do Scott & Bailey. We had to think about if for all of five minutes.”

e-mail:steve.wright@telegraphandargus.co.uk