A VERY HOT COLD CASE

Sarah Parish is an ambitious detective whose past comes back to haunt her in a gripping new ITV thriller showing on four consecutive nights this week

DCI Elizabeth Bancroft is a brilliant policewoman heading for the top. But there are secrets in her past that could derail her plans – as a rookie she was heavily involved in a murder case that was never solved. And now that case – the killing of pregnant Laura Fraser – is being re-investigated, which may force the detective to confront some extremely uncomfortable truths.

This is the underlying tension in gripping new four-part ITV drama Bancroft, which is being shown on consecutive nights this week, starring Broadchurch and W1A actress Sarah Parish in the lead role. We first meet the DCI in the present day, as she tries to nail a violent gang leader called Athif Kamara. She takes control of a sting involving her colleagues DI George Morris and DS Andy Bevan, aimed at bringing him down, but ends up snaring his brother.

‘Bringing down Kamara is Bancroft’s priority and it’s only as the dust settles on the arrest of his brother that she becomes aware cold cases are being re-investigated by her force and that the killing of Laura Fraser is once more under scrutiny,’ explains Sarah. ‘For reasons that become increasingly evident, she would rather it remained what it has been for most of the last 27 years: a cold case left on file.’

The show flashes back to Laura’s murder in 1990. We see anxious neighbours calling the police to her pretty suburban house and her body is discovered in the kitchen in a pool of blood. Her killing appears to have happened during a violent robbery. Investigating officer DI Charlie Haverstock believes the killer was a drug addict, desperate to find money for their addiction. ‘And the fact that the victim’s father was a miner, at a time when clashes between the police and miners during the 1984-85 strike were still fresh in coppers’ minds, means Haverstock quickly loses interest in the case,’ explains Kenneth Cranham, who plays Haverstock.

‘His lack of professionalism suited Bancroft,’ says Sarah. ‘Then a WPC, she was the first officer on the scene, the person who discovered the body, but her involvement in the case goes deeper. Much deeper.’ It soon emerges that Bancroft and Laura’s husband Tim were at university together and had been in a relationship before he married Laura.

In the present, an ambitious young detective investigates the case – meeting key figures including Haverstock and the victim’s father – and Bancroft can see her career going up in flames. ‘She’s very anxious – something from her past is rearing its ugly head,’ says Sarah. To add to her woes Athif Kamara firebombs her home. ‘She may not want Laura’s killer

caught, but Bancroft certainly wants Kamara in the dock,’ says Sarah. ‘For the community, it’s better if he’s behind bars. He runs the notorious Highwater Estate with an iron fist and is guilty of all manner of crimes, including rape.

‘But Bancroft has political motives too. Her boss, DCS Alan Taheeri, is retiring and desperate to see Kamara convicted by then. If Bancroft can fulfil this wish, it’d give her a great chance of landing his job and denying her rival Superintendent Clifford Walker.’

Sarah believes viewers will be on the edge of their seats. ‘Bancroft is a complex character with hidden depths. How much is she hiding? She’s no angel – but hugely satisfying to play. Appearing as someone who isn’t always redeemable was a treat.’