The golden age of drama
British actress Sarah Parish, who has starred in a range of hit shows, says this is a great time to work in drama on the small screen.
‘‘It’s a golden age of TV drama,’’ she says. ‘‘You’ve got film people coming into television.
‘‘TV writing is where it’s at today. If you go to the cinema, it’s just full of big blockbuster films. There’s not a lot of nuance in film at the moment, whereas TV drama has taken a front seat and it’s where everyone wants to be.’’
You only have to look at United States TV drama to see the truth of this view.
Parish continues, ‘‘That’s why we’ve got series like Big Little Lies with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon – things with really big stars in – because they know they are going to be able to tell a proper story again, like they used to be able to do with films. Now films have all got to be about money and box office. But people want to tell stories.’’
The latest story Parish is telling on TV is in the crime drama Bancroft, in which she plays a flawed female detective who breaks the rules to get what she wants. She is trying to bring down a criminal gang while investigating a cold case.
In this four-part thriller, 49-year-old Parish plays DS Elizabeth Bancroft, a ruthlessly ambitious yet brilliant police officer, who has dedicated her life to the force.
But when a driven, fast-track recruit, Katherine Stevens (Faye Marsay, Game Of Thrones), joins the team, Bancroft’s world is suddenly turned upside down.
As Stevens investigates an unsolved murder, she unwittingly awakens disturbing ghosts from Bancroft’s past.
Parish, who has also starred in Broadchurch, Trollied, Doctor Who, Mistresses, Merlin and Cutting It, outlines why she accepted this troubling role.
‘‘I liked the fact that Elizabeth Bancroft had so many layers to her. It’s quite nice playing someone who isn’t always redeemable.’’
In taking on this part, Parish was obliged to go to some places that were far from pleasant.
So did working on this drama help her to comprehend how a murderer, who has escaped justice for decades, could carry on living with the guilt?
‘‘I think there is an ability just to cut something off, put it in a box in the back of your brain, forget about it and get on with life,’’ she says. ‘‘Some people just have that ability. They can compartmentalise.
‘‘But I can understand that rollercoaster people go on when they’ve lied. They start to cover up that lie and it just becomes a huge web of deceit they can’t get out of. I’ve seen people do that and seen it spiral out of control.’’
Parish has relished her time working on Bancroft.
‘‘I haven’t played a big lead like that for quite a long time.
‘‘But it made me remember how lovely it is to be in all day every day.
‘‘You become so much part of that crew, the set and the piece. It’s almost easier than coming in twice a week to do your bit.
‘‘If you’re in working all the time, you suddenly become that person, that character, and it’s much easier. I absolutely loved it.’’
Bancroft was filmed in the northwest of England, which was also the location of one of her first big hits, the hair-salon drama Cutting It.
‘‘It was lovely to go back,’’ Parish says. ‘‘I got a flat in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, very near where I used to live the last time I was working there.
‘‘So that was quite nostalgic and brought back a lot of memories. I got to see a lot of friends who live there. It was really nice to return.’’
One scene Parish particularly enjoyed filming in that area was a sequence where the highly competitive Bancroft goes bowling.
‘‘That really is me bowling,’’ she says. ‘‘I got quite a few strikes that day, funnily enough.
‘‘I’m really not a bowler at all. Yet for some reason, I managed to pull it out of the bag that day.’’
Although, the actress adds with a laugh, ‘‘I’m not anywhere near as competitive as Elizabeth.’’