Hugh Laurie as Dr Gregory HouseDevoid of bedside manner and (still) dealing with a whole host of inner turmoil, our favourite TV doctor returns to screens this week for a fifth season.

But how will the tortured House cope after potentially causing the death of his best friend's girlfriend?

Predictably, badly.

Season five picks up right where season four left off. House (Hugh Laurie) must determine if he's responsible for Amber's death while Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) must decide if House is a destructive force in his life. Meanwhile, Cuddy's (Lisa Edelstein) attempts to mend the pair's broken friendship seem futile.

But death doesn't mean we've seen the last of Wilson's ill-fated girlfriend. Word on the grapevine is that Amber and another former Princeton Plainsboro patient are set to descend from the heavens to haunt House. Do these hallucinations mean the doc's Vicodin habit has stepped up a gear?

Something else that's set to rev up is the sexual tension between House and Cuddy. Show producer David Shore has hinted: "There is a light at the end of the tunnel for fans of Huddy hoping for a hookup. It definitely won't be what people expect. We have to do things our way, the House way. We wouldn't want to have the characters do anything out of character."

Actress Lisa added: "The Cuddy and House relationship is definitely growing in it's complications. It's certainly not simplifying." Complicated is definitely the word if the rumours we've heard are anything to go by.

But it's not all fun and games as tragedy is set to hit the hospital before the season is out. We're not going to reveal who, what, when or why but take our advice and get the tissues ready.

Find out when House is on TV.