Anne-Marie Duff stars in BBC One's new crime thriller From Darkness - but has admitted she's "not a huge fan" of the genre.
"It's not something I watch," she told press including Digital Spy. "I'm not someone who loves police or procedural dramas, so I knew that there needed to be some kind of hook."
Duff revealed it was the "psychological element" of From Darkness, in which she plays retired police officer Claire Church, that drew her in.
"It's a brilliant script, plain and simple, so it was a complete no-brainer - and Katie had created a character who was complex."
The four-parter is writer Katie Baxendale's first original commission, and follows Claire as she's drawn back into her old life when an unsolved case comes back to haunt her.
"She's had this whole life before," Duff explained. "She's been trying to put it behind her. But that's not going to last for long and she has to address all the shit that's happened before.
"She also suffers from depression, and is medicated for that. I think she's kind of raw - she's thin-skinned. She creates this new life for herself up in Scotland that is an idyll, but it's just another anaesthetic."
Despite its grim subject matter, with Claire looking into the unsolved murders of sex workers, Duff insisted that the cast of From Darkness had "a good few giggles" on set.
"Luke Newberry [who plays rookie cop Boyce] is the most dangerously funny individual - we've had some good fun," she said. "That's the thing - quite often, the darker the tale, the more fun you have."
It's a tale that could continue, with Duff saying she sees potential in From Darkness to go beyond this initial four-part run.
"It works in and of itself - but it also could move in a very interesting direction, because of the way we finish," she hinted.
From Darkness begins tomorrow night - Sunday, October 4 - at 9pm on BBC One.
First look at Anne-Marie Duff in BBC One's autumn drama From Darkness
Watch the trailer for From Darkness below:
