Detective Monica Kennedy (Laura Donnelly) finds herself on the trail of a brutal serial killer after a young man’s body is found, eerily staged in the idyllic Scottish wilderness.
An ITV spokesperson said: “With her experience of dealing with the darkest of humanity, Monica quickly becomes entangled in a heightened game of cat and mouse with a cunning killer. But when her own history creeps up on her, she begins to lose trust in her own judgement. Will it be her own actions that are the biggest risk to herself and her family?”
Laura said: “I loved the atmosphere of the script – there was something about the tone that felt very eerie. This was exactly the kind of show that would appeal to me on an evening, something I would want to get cosy for and watch on the sofa. I had a coffee with [executive producer] Ben Stephenson, and we got on so well. One of the first things he said to me was that we wouldn’t be filming in a police station like a typical crime procedural, and that felt so interesting to me. I have so much admiration for the projects Ben has already spearheaded in this genre, so I felt like I really trusted him to make this series as good as it could be.”
She went on: “I’m always drawn to characters who are putting on a front of some kind. I like exploring people who are trying to sell a version of themselves, but there’s stuff going on underneath that they don’t want to look at themselves, never mind letting other people see. That was really apparent in Monica right from the start. The world in which she works is her safe place, which is so interesting because for the rest of us it would seem like a very dangerous world to be in. For Monica, work is where she feels competent and in control. Outside of that, everything gets murkier for her – she doesn’t value herself very highly, but she values what she can do, which really drew me in. I hope viewers will find her really interesting, even if they’re not sure if they like her or sympathise with her at first.”
Laura added: “I’ve generally avoided anything set in either a police station or a hospital, because I’ve not been very drawn to those ideas. But there was so much about The Dark that I found interesting and I was drawn to the case that Monica needs to solve. It’s really not a world that I’ve gone anywhere near before. For a start it’s modern day and I’ve worn so many corsets in my career! So in lots of ways this series did feel like a departure from the kind of work I normally do, but I’m always interested in new experiences. All good dramas should be about human experiences and interactions, so I was much more interested in getting Monica’s character right than researching the work of detectives. Saying that I did have one scene where I did a proper police interview and I got to read someone their rights, and I have to admit that was really cool. If you’re playing a cop then you do want to do that scene at some point, and to have that quintessential detective moment!”
But she did admit to having enjoyed filming in Scotland.
“Yes, it was freezing, but I love working in Scotland! I studied in Scotland, and lots of my family lives there,” said Laura. “It was so lovely being based in Glasgow again – I genuinely feel at ho me in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, so it was a huge part of the reason for doing this job. Everything felt instantly familiar, and that helped to ensure that the subject matter didn’t weigh too heavily as well.”
Well, that’s it for this week – catch you next time for some more TV chatter – and try and stay calm as those quarter finals draw ever nearer! Stay safe – nothing left to say but: C’MON ENGLAND!!
Author: Steve
Editor of Hartlepool Life and author of TV Life