Sarah Lancashire

So my job on the second series was to, on this 12-part series, it got a bigger order for series two.

How many was Ashley going to write? How many other writers would we get on it? What would the shape of the series be? So my role was to really sit with Ashley, sit with the producer, work out what the major character arcs for the series would be, what the sort of A to Z for Pam Ferris' character and Sarah Lancashire's characters would be, and then think, well, how does that break down into each episode and then work with Ashley and work with the other writers well you're doing episode four and that's the one where they go to Scarborough for a conference and you're doing episode seven that's the one where um oh I don't know the lady drowns in the bath we didn't do that I'm just I'm kind of freestyling now but So it was my job to sort of help peg the series out.

And then it was my job to sort of do the air traffic control on the script.

So, you know, the first draft of episode one comes in.

I'm Mark.

I'm Sarah.

I'm a Doctor Who

fan.

Duck.

I feel like there's a kid's story called like Duck and...

You're on about Sarah and Duck.

That's what I was thinking of, yeah.

But first, Ian, what is in the news?

Sarah Lancashire will star in Netflix drama Witch Hunt.

about a descendant of the Witch of Cambridge whose release from prison sparks outrage.

What else is in the news, Hannah?

I haven't seen it.

Sarah, what was, how did she get on?

I am very happy to report she seems to be an absolute natural.

Yay.

[laughs] That could be very exciting stuff, um, in terms of comedy, new comedy.

Um, uh, Netflix are doing a show which is very clearly their attempt to copy Taskmaster.

Uh, announced it will be starring Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade, both of Taskmaster, and it's called Hot or Cold, and it will be celebrities [laughs] Sarah's face.

Sa- uh, celebrities in a room doing a task, and, uh, the, the room will turn blue or red if they're hotter or colder-

And this will star returning, and now several jobs she's now done for Netflix, is

Are we allowed to say icon? Sarah Lancashire.

Oh, really?

Okay.

We've got a synopsis here.

When August Howell, a descendant of the Witch of Cambridge, is released after three decades in prison... for drowning her three young daughters she comes home to a community that does not want her back but when concern grows that her return has triggered a modern day witch hunt in the university town the police must turn to August's last surviving daughter Professor Howell an academic and investigative psychologist to help find the killer as past resentments and local folklore collide

that sounds really interesting I must admit, though, and this is on me more than anything else, the name Sarah Lancashire puts me off.

Why? What have you got against Lancashire? Nothing.

She might not appear always, but she is bright.

Um, and then, uh, we meet the Sarah Lancashire character, um, which she was just brilliant.

You could see she just loved it all, being the, the big bad and really... 'Cause it's not really the characters that she sort of plays, so it was really good.

And some of the lines she got, you know, "Britain will be thin.

I thought that was hilarious.

[laughs]

And then she just goes, and then she's pulling a face and looks at Sarah Lancashire and goes, "When you two are finished..." And it's [laughs]

I wonder how long she noticed as well.

Yeah

... which is the Sarah Lancashire British-

Mm

... police drama that's a- actually gratifyingly higher on this list.

... of Northwest England.

Mm-hmm.

And, uh, Sarah Lancashire's character, what's she called, Cawood, um, I think is, is her name.

Mm.

So Sarah basically takes the cigarette out, puts it on the bar, stubs it.

Grant, what's your name? I'm Sarah Lancashire.

And I'm a fucking actress.

And we're filming.