PLAYING IT SAFE
Sunetra Sarker returns in ITV’s crime drama.
SUNETRA SARKER went in to Who Do You Think You Are? hoping to learn about her past.
But the former Casualty regular, who is one of the stars of ITV’s returning crime drama Safe House, says she came back with lessons that changed her future, too.
“I knew absolutely nothing about what we were going to do when we flew to India and then on to Bangladesh,” explained Liverpudlian Sunetra, whose parents moved to the city from Calcutta a few years before she was born.
“The programme is all about those revealing reactions and it meant so much to find out about my history.
“I was so aware about not wanting to cry, but it just happens.
“Because I know I came from a family of men that pioneered what women do, I feel I came back with a bit more bravery.
“I think I’d stick my neck out a little bit more on some subjects knowing what my ancestors did and some of the positive stuff that came from that.
“Even on certain jobs I’ll go upstairs and say this scene would be better this or that way when I wouldn’t have before.”
The first series of Safe House starred Christopher Eccleston as the former policeman running a hideaway for threatened witnesses in the Lake District. Now there’s a new location for the safe house, windswept Anglesey, and a new ex-copper, Tom Brooks, played by Stephen Moyer.
Many years ago, Brooks investigated a series of abductions perpetrated by an assailant known as The Crow. On hearing of a crime bearing the same hallmarks, Brooks immediately goes to the crime scene, revealing to the police that he believes The Crow is active again.
Zoe Tapper, Dervla Kirwan and Jason Watkins are also among the cast of the drama.
Former Strictly star Sunetra plays serving copper DCI Jane Burr and she says having some of the series shot in Liverpool let her take her young son Noah and catch up with her mum and dad.
“I got a chance to stretch my scouse accent,” laughs Sunetra.
“Because we had so many night shoots on this I stayed in hotels, not with my parents, so as not to disturb them.
“It was nice to see Liverpool from a different point of view from when I lived there.”
Sunetra hadn’t worked in the city since her days on Brookside, a part she landed after being spotted standing at a bus stop.
“I was 15 and they were looking for a new face. They couldn’t find any Asian scousers back then, 1988, as there weren’t a lot of Indian girls acting. “It was a really lucky break. “Now the television climate is more open.
“DCI Jane Burr doesn’t say anything about being an Asian woman and I love that.
“I’m so proud that my agent puts me up for roles that have nothing to do with being Indian. When I do play an Indian or Asian character it has to be substantial and have a voice.
“If you just play wishy-washy Asian mums talking about arranged marriages, that’s not realistic.”
Sunetra has had the luxury of being able to pick and choose parts since Casualty, something she admits she wasn’t sure of when she hung up stethoscope after many years plying Dr Zoe Hanna.
But she had been reassured by show bosses that they would be more than happy to see her return if she wanted to come back.
“I needed to go out there and see if there were other roles there for me,” adds Sunetra, who is also a regular in Channel 4’s school drama Ackley Bridge.
“I’d been talked round from leaving a couple of years earlier but them being kind enough to say the door would be left open gave me the peace of mind to take the gamble.
“I had a few months of just having a life and some downtime from Zoe after all those years of getting up at six in the morning.
“I was prepared to have three months and thankfully, after that, the work started coming in like Broadchurch and Safe House.
“It’s been a great year and I definitely feel very lucky.”
Safe House, ITV, Thurs, 9pm.