ANOTHER DARK CASE FOR THE BROADCHURCH COPS
BROADCHURCH stars Olivia Colman and David Tennant will be seen investigating a serious sexual offence in the third and final series of the hit Dorset-based ITV drama.
The pair’s characters Det Sgt Ellie Miller and Det Insp Alec Hardy team up once more after the attack on a farm shop worker, played by former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Colman, 43, revealed she consulted a female police officer and a worker with the Dorset Rape Crisis charity as part of her preparations for filming.
‘It was really humbling what they do,’ she said. ‘I know I couldn’t do it but I am in awe of them — thank God they are there.’
The Golden Globe winner — for The Night Manager — said she thinks support services for rape victims deserve more financial help.
‘I hope they are happy we have shown what they do because they are so poorly funded,’ she said.
‘It’s going to be a shock to viewers when they realise these people are volunteering to do the hardest jobs. There’s no applause or award shows for them.’
Hesmondhalgh, 46, who played Hayley Cropper in Corrie, confessed to having reservations about her role as a rape victim.
‘Rape and serious sexual assault on TV can be very badly handled,’ she said. ‘It’s about getting the right balance of seeing things in a sensitive and respectful way — but it is a thriller at the end of the day.’
Broadchurch begins on February 27.
Author: Tom Stichbury
