Forget embittered coppers, TV dramas should tackle the big issues, says the actor

As soon as I read the script of National Treasure, I sensed it was going to be something special – and so it proved, with the recent four-part drama being both a critical and commercial hit. The Channel 4 series told the story of a philandering big-name entertainer, Paul Finchley, played by Robbie Coltrane, accused of sex crimes earlier in his career. I had the role of his comedy partner Karl, and Julie Walters was his long-suffering wife Marie.

The plot was inspired by Operation Yewtree – the police investigation into historic sexual abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile and other celebrities. And its success begs the question: why aren’t the TV networks making more such programmes about other big issues?

Over the years they’ve made some great dramas focusing on hot topics of the day, such as the BBC’s Cathy Come Home in 1966, which highlighted the plight of the homeless; Edge Of Darkness (1985) about nuclear terrorism and conspiracy starring Bob Peck; and A Very British Coup (1988), with Ray McAnally (neither actor is sadly still with us) about what might have happened if a far-left Labour government had taken office.

But too often broadcasters are content to churn out more and more formulaic crime dramas inevitably featuring an alcoholic, embittered police officer. Surely there are only so many despairing, embittered, alcoholic detectives out there!

There are certainly plenty of big issues – like what happened in the corridors of power after the Brexit vote – that would be perfect for a small-screen drama. It would also be fascinating to see one imagining how a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government might act if it was in power – I’d love to see how such a story turned out.

That said, the secret of National Treasure’s success was that it wrapped up a hot topic in a great tale, and humanised the story of a big-name sex-abuse case. It would have been so easy to write a two- dimensional, good vs evil drama about a monster like Savile and his innocent victims. But the genius of Jack Thorne’s writing lay in its subtlety and refusal to rush to judgment.

Cost needn’t be a barrier to making hard-hitting television, either. You don’t need to fly out to glamorous locations to make a good drama – the most glamorous we got was Scarborough, and that was only for one day in February!

Granted, not every programme commissioned about a hot topic of the day is going to get it right in every way, or find a massive audience – but surely that’s no excuse for not at least trying to think big in these most interesting of times?

National Treasure is out on DVD on Monday.