I don’t want to be the queen of gritty drama
Sarah Lancashire stars in The Accident, a drama set in a Welsh town hit by tragedy. She tells GEMMA DUNN it’s good writing that draws her to tough subjects
SARAH LANCASHIRE isn’t into labels. Whether it’s ‘national treasure’ or ‘queen of gritty drama’, the actress – hailed for her Baftawinning performances in Last Tango In Halifax and Happy Valley – simply doesn’t care for them.
“I just take what resonates with me,” she insists, chewing over her impressive body of work.
“I don’t want to be the ‘queen of gritty drama’. I don’t. Gritty though it may be, these are pieces that say something about the world. That focus on the grey matter, that [aren’t] black and white – as life is not black and white!” Sarah, 55, protests.
“So I don’t actively search out these roles. I do the best of what comes along and that’s really how I make my choices – and not a lot of humour comes my way!”
Not that it matters. For since her breakthrough as Corrie’s lovable barmaid, Raquel Watts, the Oldhamborn star – once named the highestpaid actress on British television and the proud recipient of an OBE – has found critical acclaim with hits such as Where The Heart Is, Clocking Off, Lark Rise To Candleford and, most recently, MotherFatherSon.
Her next outing certainly isn’t a laughing matter, either.
Sarah reunites with Kiri writer Jack Thorne for The Accident – a four-part drama series about a devastating explosion on the site of a large construction project in a fictional Welsh town, Glyngolau, and the fallout for the local community.
Many die in the tragedy, children included, and the community is devastated.
Sarah plays Polly Bevan, the wife of the local politician who championed the project and the person to whom the stricken community turns following the disaster.
The third instalment of Thorne’s Channel 4 ‘blame trilogy’, the part was specifically written for Sarah. And it was an offer that warranted an “easy yes”.
“It’s just the piece in its totality, really,” she says of its appeal.
“It’s difficult to extract the character out of the scenario, so it’s just the landscape of the story within
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Jack Whitehall will be discussing his life and career and no doubt lending a hand with the laughs.
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that and the interaction of the characters.
“When it works, it’s fantastic,” she reasons, adding, “I feel very blessed that I receive pieces like [this].
“With most things Jack writes, it deliberately shines a light on that really difficult place where the public, political and private collide.
“I mean this in the nicest possible way, but Jack does this extraordinary thing where he takes a huge story NEWS at Ten anchor Tom Bradby
has been following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex every step of the way on their recent Royal tour of South Africa. And naturally, baby son Archie has stolen much of the limelight from his famous parents.
Tom, who made two other films with Harry in Africa, speaks to them about the causes and issues they care most about.
He also explores some of the challenges and pressures they face living as a young family in the glare of the world’s media.
So, if you want a vivid insight into how the couple see their roles as modern Royals on the international stage, and how they balance their public duties with their private family life, then this film provides answers. and makes it tiny,” she declares. “So, he does exactly the opposite of what most people do and then he distils it further and examines it forensically through the eyes of those who are most affected.
“His writing is extraordinary,” she concludes. “It has something very bold and brave and fearless to say about the world that we live in.”
Is that a rarity in the scripts she receives?
JAMIE’S MEAT-FREE MEALS Monday, Channel 4, 8pm
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THE BRITISH TRIBE NEXT DOOR Tuesday, Channel 4, 9.15pm
“The Jacks and the Sally Wainwrights are rare creatures; you’re not going to find many of those around,” she adds.
“There’s not going to be a huge number of great writers or a huge number of great directors, that’s why they’re unique and great, I suppose.”
It’s what makes this process a satisfying one, Sarah continues: “It’s the alchemy of having these extraordinary four scripts and
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