The wrong medicine:
An injured war veteran wonders whether he can trust doctors when he sees patients dying around him in suspicious circumstances in the second series of the British drama Trust Me.
An injured war veteran finds himself fighting a very different kind of fight in the new British drama Trust Me.
The first series of Trust Me starred Jodie Whittaker as a nurse who, after losing her job, stole the identity of a doctor. It made for gripping viewing.
This second series of Trust Me features a whole new cast and storyline but an equally intriguing theme.
A young British soldier, Corporal Jamie McCain, is badly injured while on duty in Afghanistan and is recovering in a Glasgow hospital from a spinal injury, which has left him temporarily paralysed.
But he turns investigator when he sees fellow patients around him dying in suspicious circumstances. As paranoia mounts, the question arises, is something sinister going on or is it in his imagination?
Alfred Enoch plays Jamie McCain, with John Hannah as clinical lead
Archie Watson, whose awkward persona hides a seedier side, and Ashley Jensen as the seemingly committed head physiotherapist Debbie. However, there is a vulnerability to Debbie which makes her susceptible to being manipulated by a close colleague.
“Jamie’s just been pulled out of a war zone, he’s dealing with his injury and he doesn’t know how long it will take for him to recover and whether he will be able to get back to his life in the army,” says Enoch.
“Many of his unit were shot and killed, so when we meet him at the beginning of the series he is dealing with a lot. And then he finds himself being an accidental detective.
“He’s in a position where he has to work out what’s going on, so he has to adjust. He also had a very
“It’s a huge sacrifice going to war and you put yourself through so much mentally.”
– Alfred Enoch
difficult past. His father was an alcoholic and he suffered from domestic abuse. There’s a lot that he has to confront when he’s out of the army.
“I always do a lot of research, and I read and watched a lot of material. I also had the chance to talk to ex-servicemen who had been injured in combat and who spoke to me about their injuries – how they occurred, and the physical and mental process of recovering.
“It’s a huge sacrifice going to war and you put yourself through so much mentally so I was very mindful of that, and I wanted to be as respectful as I could be.
“It’s a real privilege to discover things outside of your immediate experience. I was very humbled that the people who spoke to me were willing to do so and very grateful for their time and knowledge.”
Archie Watson is not one who finds the time for genial conversation. He is a cold type who likes to do everything ‘by the book’.
“Archie has a fairly dysfunctional relationship with his patients and perhaps he sees them as a bit of an impediment to running an efficient department,” says John Hannah (Four Weddings And A Funeral), who plays him.
“He is slightly misanthropic towards the patients, slightly controlling and slightly in charge. And he’s probably not quite as good at doing what he has to do as he thinks he is.
“He sees Jamie as a kind of number that’s making a mess of his books. He doesn’t loathe him or dislike him but at the same time he doesn’t necessarily have any empathy for him.” For Ashley Jensen, best known for roles such as amateur detective Agatha Raisin, Maggie in Extras, and Christina in Ugly Betty, the opportunity to do a straight dramatic role appealed to her. “My character, Debbie, is incredibly conscientious and takes her job very seriously. It means a lot to her and she wants to make a difference,” she says. “It’s something a bit different for me. I’ve been involved in a lot of comedy over the years and I’m predominantly known for it, so when I saw this script I was drawn to it because it was so different. “It’s dark and ominous and has a sense of foreboding in the ordinary, everyday setting of a hospital. “As a psychological thriller, it takes twists and turns and it’ll hopefully keep the audience guessing right until the end.” The hospital location was actually an old Victorian school in Glasgow. “It certainly added to the Gothic atmosphere of the show,” says Jensen. “The most challenging scenes for me, and for Alfie, were those in a disused hydro pool. We were in the water for the best part of 12 hours, in November, and it was freezing. “In fact, at one point we had hot water bottles actually in the pool with us.”