The TV star fell in love with the city when she shot to stardom in Brookside
Anna Friel in new BBC drama Unforgivable
Anna Friel vowed to do her Scouse co-stars proud as she returned to the city for a new BBC show. The 49-year-old is starring in Jimmy McGovern’s new drama, Unforgivable, which lands on BBC on Thursday.
The feature length drama explores how abuse can tear a family apart and is told from multiple perspectives. Anna’s appearance in the drama marks her return to Liverpool, the city where she made her name as Beth Jordache in the classic Channel 4 soap, Brookside.
The TV star played the character in the Liverpool set show from 1993 – 1995 and was a part of some of the drama’s most important storylines. The city has held a special place in her heart since and she loved spending time in the city again while filming the new 90 minute drama.
She said: “I absolutely love Liverpool. I’m a huge fan of Liverpool and Liverpudlians. Jimmy and Colin (Executive Producer) took me to a football match which was incredible. You just bathe yourself in the world and the culture of Liverpool.
“I have such fond memories and I’d love to work in Liverpool again, I adore it. Every time I reunite with Jimmy, I reunite with Liverpool and it’s an honour.”
The cast largely features Liverpudlians such as Bobby Schofiled and Anna said it was important she got the Scouse accent right. She said: “A Liverpool accent… I hope I did all right with that. Everyone else who was playing Scouse was Scouse, so I was like, I don’t want to let the side down!”
Unforgivable is the third time Anna has worked with Jimmy McGovern and she said it is always an honour to work with the legendary writer. She said: “I have nothing but admiration and respect. There’s never a wasted word in the script. Every single word is important and matters and is used with impact and power.
She added: “That’s the art of a very clever writer. It becomes a talking piece. Especially because all of his dramas are always very much grounded and cemented in reality. Jimmy’s world is always a tangible and believable world that a lot of us can relate to.
“The drama asks big questions we’re asking an audience to follow because, as an actress, it’s complex. I think that that’s a form of genius, the smartest people I know have the best questions. You’re not just talking about something superficial.”
Anna has worked in TV and film since she was 13 and heaped praise on the fellow young cast members in the show, who have expertly tackled such challenging subject matter. She said: “I am so impressed by the young talent, it’s quite extraordinary. I feel quite blessed to be playing the mother of all this wonderful talent. They’re so hard working and brilliant. Austin (who plays Tom) is delightful, he’s on a roll. Head down and works really hard. And that’s difficult, to be that age and play a character who has been abused. It’s very tricky”
She also loved working with the older members of the cast and said she is forever bonded with the cast after the experience of working on Unforgivable. She said: “I loved my scenes with David Threlfall, he became a new friend in my life. I hadn’t met Anna Maxwell Martin before, but I’ve always thought she’s an amazing actress and it was wonderful to find she’s an amazing person.
“We didn’t have any scenes together apart from in the court room, but I’m a big fan. Bobby provides such a complex performance.” Unforgivable arrives on iPlayer on Thursday, July 24. The drama will be broadcast that evening on BBC Two at 9pm.