Lara right at home in tale of two cities

New BBC drama The City & The City might be set in a weird, fictional location, but star Lara Pulver found filming comfortingly homely.

She plays Katrynia, wife of David Morrissey’s Inspector Tyador Borlú, in the adaptation of China Mieville’s mind-bending novel.

“My husband (Spooks actor Raza Jaffrey) was born in Liverpool so I felt like I went from home to home because his mother’s side of the family are all still there,” said Lara.

“Since we have been together I have never had the chance to go to Liverpool and visit that side of the family.

“I have only ever seen them when they have come down to London, so it was great.

“I was going there as a new mum with a 12-week-old baby, but I had this amazing support unit with all my wonderful relatives around me and I was being spoiled rotten with Sunday roasts.

“Liverpool has evolved so much, it is such a vibrant city.

“I am a bit of a foodie and the food was brilliant.

“There has been a real injection of money and love into that city and it shows. People were in such good spirits and were supportive of us filming in their city; it was wonderful.”

The series is a complex affair, switching between two linked but different cities.

And Lara says it took some getting used to.

“The most challenging part of shooting was getting my head around when it was my reality or if it was Borlú’s projection.

“We filmed scenes numerous times in different ways because often you are seeing my character through Borlú’s recollection of events and then often days later we would go back and film it as my reality.”

The City & The City, BBC2, Friday, 9pm.

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