Drivers interior door handle issue

[malcthom]

Hi All
So I went to open the door to exit the car today and there was a clack and then the handle had no resistance and the door would not open. I thought the bowden cable had become detached but on removing the door card I find that is still attached and will open the door by pulling on it directly. It seems however that there should be some kind of return spring somewhere in the system to maintain tension on the handle. Anyone have any further insights into the mechanism of this system? Is there such a tensioning device in the actuator itself which may have gone south?
Cheers
M