KAREN PIRIE
WE CHAT TO THE STAR OF THE NEW ITV DRAMA
Author Val Mcdermid has more than earned her reputation as the Queen of Crime. And the creator of the bestselling Tony Hill and Carol Jordan novels – adapted into ITV’S Wire In The Blood – is no stranger to TV success, either. Now, she’s about to see another of her acclaimed literary characters hit the small screen. From the producers of Line Of Duty and Bodyguard, this new series introduces us to young, fearless investigator DS Karen Pirie, who is tasked with reopening an historic murder investigation that has been the subject of a true-crime podcast. We caught up with star Lauren Lyle to find out more…
How did you get involved in the show?
Our exec producer Simon Heath spotted me at the readthrough for the TV show Vigil – he was thinking about casting for Karen Pirie at the time and tells me I stood out. When I auditioned, it felt like a natural fit. The script for the first episode was unlike anything else you’d get sent as a mid-twenties, female Scottish actor – this kind of role doesn’t come along often. And, usually, you don’t get the chance to play a detective until you’re a bit older, but I felt really akin to her. I was so excited to get the recall, and when I got the call with the offer, I flipped out!
Will the TV version of Karen be recognisable to fans of the books?
Absolutely. The dry wit and her attitude of not giving a damn are exactly the same as in the books. It was really cool to know that Val Mcdermid was happy with me being cast in the role, and we had a lot of conversations to make sure I was on the right track.
Karen is quite different for a TV detective…
Yes, and we discussed that a lot, because her image is described in detail in the books, and I don’t quite look like that version of the character. She’s supposed to have mousy hair, for example, but when I got cast, I had a blonde bob. The director saw it and thought it stood out – this unconventional, not overly pretty look. In the books, Karen is meant to be unfashionable and odd, and doesn’t really care about what
she looks like, because her job is all she’s worried about. But
I had quite a strong image of what I wanted her to look like – this modern woman appearing to be a bit androgynous and trying to level up the men. I think she’s got the image in her head of what she should look like to fit in around a lot of men, but by doing that, she actually isolates herself into being quite an independent looking person, who looks cool without meaning to.
When we first meet her, Karen has just been promoted. How does she feel about the new job?
She definitely feels imposter syndrome. She was expecting a colleague to get the job because he’s been working among the guys a lot longer. He has moved up quicker and she perceives him to be brilliant, which he is. The way it’s happened is that it looks good for the police to put a woman on this particular case and that’s why she gets it. She doesn’t quite understand
‘HER DRY WIT AND ATTITUDE ARE THE SAME AS THE BOOKS’
that at first, and when she realises, it fills her with insecurity. But at the same time, she’s got this real determination and knows she can do it. She goes against all traditional policing, and I think that annoys the guys she works with, that she is inherently good at her job without having to try hard. She’s naturally a really good policewoman and all the guys are having to work a bit harder to keep up. She also takes untraditional routes to do what she needs to do and isn’t afraid of that. She’s just trying to do what’s right, and if that means not following the rules, so be it. She’ll deal with the consequences later. So, I think she’s comfortable where she is, she’s good at her job and she loves being a detective. She’s young, and still figuring herself out, and I don’t think she expects to have so much responsibility thrust upon her just yet. She’s just getting her life going, and she’s enjoying her job, but I don’t think she’s thinking that far ahead. But this case kicks her into gear, and she’s determined and ambitious, so that begins to drive her. As soon she starts to feel underestimated, it just puts more fire in her belly. ■