Five minutes with… Katherine Kelly

There are plenty of great detective shows out there to watch. But where Criminal differs is that the drama takes place exclusively in one room. Following a hugely successful first series, the Netflix hit is back, with four new cases and four new suspects, played by guest stars Kit Harington, Kunal Nayyar, Sharon Hogran and Sophie Okonedo.

Meanwhile, you can expect more impressive performances from the core cast — former Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly, The A Word actor Lee Ingleby, Line of Duty’s Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf, who could recently be seen in BBC’s A Suitable Boy.

The foursome play the London-based investigators engaging in intense mental conflict with the criminals in front of them — and you can bet there will be plenty of surprises along the way. Here, Barnsley-born Kelly, 40, tells us more.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM SERIES TWO?

One of the most exciting things about the show is you get to see some of the world’s greatest actors playing roles that you probably have never seen them play before. There’s a real versatility that you get to show and, to me, they’re like plays on screen.

For instance, Kit [Harington] — obviously he’s one of the most famous actors in the world, right, for playing a particular role. I actually saw him on stage, way before Game Of Thrones, in a play called Posh, by Laura Wade, and he was brilliant, so I know that he can absolutely play that type of role and he brings a lot of what I saw on stage in that play into his character of Alex. I think people will be really excited to see that.

YOU PLAY DETECTIVE NATALIE HOBBS. WHO DO YOU THINK SHE IS OUTSIDE OF THAT BUILDING?

I think Natalie is a way better friend than work colleague. I think she’d be quite tough to work for; she’s an absolute perfectionist and very highly motivated, highly driven and obsessed with work. She’s still all those things but, with a vodka and tonic in her, she’s a bit easier to be around. You’d definitely rather meet Natalie in a pub than in our observation room, that’s for sure.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE READING THE NEW SCRIPTS?

It’s like reading a novel. Like with a great novel, it just stays with you. We’ve got no action shots, all we’ve got are the words, so we have to create the adventure and the thriller through the twists and turns.

The obvious thing to think is, ‘Innocent or guilty?’ and it’s never that; there’s far more nuance to it than that. I think the more [episodes] George [Kay, creator] makes, the richer it gets.

WOULD YOU BE UP FOR MAKING MORE? SINCE YOU FILMED SERIES ONE, WE’VE HAD THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN…

It’s a very Covid-friendly show. We have a screen. We don’t touch each other. We are at least a metre away from each other at all times.

I can’t speak for all actors but all my friends who are have said the same [as me], that they can’t wait to get back to work. I mean, people are working in terms of this kind of thing and voiceovers, but we love being on set.

To use the analogy of footballers, or any sporting professional, you do the training for those moments for the match or the game. We’ve got a great team and can’t wait to get back. It’s a really flexible show as well. It’s been put into seasons, of four or six episodes, but we could make one. It’s very fluid and that’s Covid-friendly, as we have to be flexible.

NATALIE HAS A SWEET BACKSTORY WITH HER COLLEAGUE TONY, PLAYED BY LEE INGLEBY. WHERE DO YOU SEE THAT GOING?

They are in such important jobs. The stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s intense, and yet they have this quite teenage, will they/won’t they twinkly relationship going on. It’s nice to see those different flavours. Because you only see the detectives in a working environment, because we never see them out of it, then these are the only little glimmers of their true personalities that you get to see.

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU’VE LEARNT ABOUT POLICING AND THE LAW FROM DOING THIS SHOW?

George pointed us to a handful [of YouTube videos filmed] in North America of these confessions, which is a camera in the top of the room. They go on for hours and hours and it’s just slow and steady and that, for me, in the first series, was a revelation. It was nothing like the idea I had in my head of how police get a confession.

It’s not enough to have someone say, ‘I did it’; you need evidence, and that’s what we’re there for. Then it’s down to the jury to decide. We gather the evidence. A confession is not the goal actually, and that surprised me; we need them to talk as much as we can, and that takes a lot of time and patience.

DO YOU THINK YOU’D MAKE A GOOD DETECTIVE YOURSELF?

I suppose they have to follow the rules, as it’s the law. But for me, rules were made to be broken. And that’s not good if you’re a detective, is it?! Season 2 of Criminal will launch on Netflix on Wednesday September 16.