Police have been granted more time to question the husband of an award-winning TV make-up artist being held on suspicion of her murder, it was announced tonight.

A custody extension granted by a court means police are able to quiz Diane Chenery-Wickens' husband, David, for another 36 hours, until about 3am on Sunday.

Mrs Chenery-Wickens, 48, who has worked on shows including Dead Ringers, The League of Gentlemen and Casualty, has not been seen or heard from since last Thursday, when she travelled with her husband by train from East Grinstead, West Sussex, to London to attend a business meeting at the BBC.

The custody extension was made as detailed searches continued near the country home the couple shared in Duddleswell, near Uckfield, East Sussex.

Police dogs were seen roaming woodland surrounding the property and fingertip searches have taken place inside the house, garden and the grounds.

A tanker was brought in to pump out a waste tank in the garden and a car was removed from her home on a trailer as police hunt for clues surrounding her disappearance.

After Mrs Chenery-Wickens and her husband arrived in London, they were said to have parted in the Shepherds Bush area with an agreement to meet up again later at a hairdresser's, where she had an appointment.

But Mrs Chenery-Wickens failed to turn up for the appointment and she has not been seen or heard from since.

Her husband reported her missing to the Metropolitan Police the same night and her disappearance has been described by friends and family as out of character and concerning.

Impressionist Jon Culshaw - who worked with Mrs Chenery-Wickens on Dead Ringers - said he hoped a sensible explanation would soon emerge for her disappearance.

It has been reported that Mr Chenery-Wickens is a spiritualist "roving vicar" who wears a dog collar and ministers to several country parishes to his home.

Sussex Police said yesterday that a 51-year-old man from East Sussex had been arrested on suspicion of her murder and taken into custody in Eastbourne.

Mrs Chenery-Wickens has worked for more than 20 years on hair and make-up design on some of television's best-known shows.

Her work has been seen by millions of viewers on programmes such as The League Of Gentlemen, Casualty, Pride And Prejudice and Dead Ringers.

Her brother, Russell Wickens, said their parents were "frantic" with worry. He said today he has been advised by police to make no further comment to avoid prejudicing the investigation.

In a statement earlier this week, Mr Wickens, who yesterday travelled to Sussex from his home in Bristol, added: "Her disappearance is uncharacteristic behaviour and causing us great concern. We urge her to get in touch just to let us know she is safe."

He said later, of his sister's husband: "I don't really know enough about him but from what I understand he is not a vicar but I believe he is involved in a spiritualist church."

In an interview in 2006, Mrs Chenery-Wickens said that at school she aspired to become a hairdresser and beauty therapist, and went on to the London College of Fashion.

She later took a two-year in-house traineeship at the BBC before starting work on her own.

She said: "The variety of work that I do is phenomenal. I feel so fortunate."

In 2000, Mrs Chenery-Wickens won an Emmy for her work on Arabian Nights.

And in 2003, she was nominated for a Bafta in the make-up and hair design category for her work on Dead Ringers, missing out to an artist on Little Britain.

Anyone with information about her disappearance is being asked to call Sussex Police on 0845 6070 999, quoting Operation Hartley.