It’s safe to say that Trigger Point – the latest highly anticipated crime drama to come from ITV – is at the top of our watchlist for many reasons. While tension and high-pressure stakes are some of the obvious draws in any series we love to watch, honestly, though, just add Vicky McClure in the lead role and we’re there.

We last saw McClure in the hit BBC One series Line Of Duty, where the first episode of the latest series saw a staggering 9.6 million people tune in to watch. As well as winning a Bafta for her role as Lol in This Is England, McClure has also captivated viewers with roles in Broadchurch, The Replacement and has truly become one of the UK’s most beloved actors.

Now, the explosive Trigger Point – which is also produced by Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio and starring Life and Trauma actor Adrian Lester – follows McClure’s character, Lana Washington, as she works to keep London safe in the midst of a “terrorist summer campaign” as an experienced bomb disposal operative.

As well as being at the forefront of urgent efforts in the show, McClure shines as a force to be reckoned with in the largely underrepresented world of bomb disposal. The first episode – while the epitome of edge-of-your-seat action – is also an enlightening spin on the usual crime drama series format.

As we sat down to talk all things expo-related – the term used to refer to the ex-military and experienced bomb disposal operative she plays in Trigger Point – McClure admits that she wishes “it wasn’t Zoom”. “[Talking in person] just makes it so much more personable,” she continues.

In addition to being down-to-earth and passionate about the upcoming series, we had to take the chance to ask the acclaimed actor about the challenges of the new role, how it differs from other beloved crime dramas and, in an ideal world, what her ideal acting role would consist of. 

Vicky, you’ve likely seen many a captivating script in your time as an actor. What were your first impressions when you saw the script for Trigger Point?

My first impressions were that it was a subject that I didn’t know a lot about so it was something that I could learn and could get my teeth into. I was really intrigued.

I love working with friends so being back with Jed was a real highlight and I love working with new creatives; Daniel – this is his first episodic television show that he’s written – so it was a kind of win-win in that situation just to be able to work with Jed and Daniel.  

What did you think of your character Lana Washington initially?

I just looked at Lana and went ‘God, what a character’ – she’s got a lot going on.  

And what about her role as an expo itself?

The job at hand is really intense. There’s a lot of layers to being an expo so there was a lot for me to uncover there and I had great support from real life expos. We had two guys – Joel and Paul – and they were brilliant. They were on hand, on set every day so I could try and emulate them as much as I could.

There’s dramatic licensing in there as well, which they understood, but there’s also Lana’s personal life side of it, which runs through the story in quite a big way really. I just had a lot to do which, as an actor, you just love the chance to be able to delve deeper and deeper and deeper into your characters – this was a real opportunity for me to do that. 

What can you tell us about Lana without giving too much away?

Well, she’s brave. First and foremost, Lana is a brave, brave woman. She’s a dedicated member of the expo team but she’s up for a laugh.

She’s in a very male-dominated world and holds herself very well.

In the same breath, she’s vulnerable and flawed and delicate. She’s a real mixture of emotions really; some of that is because of what happens throughout the show but also, some of that is because that’s the character that she is. She kept me going for that period of time – there was never a dull moment.  

What is different about playing this role of an expo versus a police officer?

Expos aren’t police officers so it is a different arm to the police force in so much as Lana couldn’t go and arrest somebody, which is why every expo will travel with a police officer. So in my case, I had an amazing number two called Eric Shango (who plays Danny) and he’s the police officer that travels with Lana at every event.

It’s completely different. I’m aware that people might look at it and go, ‘It feels a bit like Line Of Duty’. Obviously, there is going to be a police presence within Trigger Point but expos are a very different beast, even down to the sort of rec room.  

How so?

They’ve got this room when they’re waiting for the call and it’s a shithole. It’s not like an office; there’s a pull up bar, a dartboard and a little basketball hoop. So it’s a very different feeling, in terms of that side of it. 

Then in terms of the actual job and the profession, obviously their job is highly skilled to deal with devices that are just beyond anything that we could dream of doing. So the skills they have to master are very different. 

It does sound like a challenge of a role. Did you have to do any kind of preparation or research for it?

One of my closest friends is my hairstylist Louie Byrne and he’s a lot more active than I am. Because I was filming in London for Trigger Point, we decided to get me up and running. We went for a jog and I’ve even got a video of it on my Instagram because a bee flew in my face. But that was the only day that I actually made it out and, to be quite honest, I don’t know where I’d have fitted that kind of exercise training in – the filming days were just so long, I was so tired all the time.

I don’t think it’s any surprise to people that I’ve never really been much of a gym bunny and it’s not something I post about an awful lot.

Trigger Point was physically demanding, though. When you see me run in the show, it’s not that I’ve just ran the one time – it’s take after take after take – so it was challenging for sure, it was the most physical job I’ve ever done. 

If you could sum up the new series in one sentence, what would it be?

Oh my god, one sentence?

The thing is, I’m trying to avoid saying things like ‘It’s explosive and high octane’ because we know that. For me, it’s a world that we haven’t really delved into that much yet. I don’t want to say explosive – that’s too cheesy. There’s a lot going on. It’s full on. 

There are a lot of these so-called ‘high octane dramas’ being commissioned recently and it seems like, as viewers, we’ve got an insatiable appetite for them. What do you think Trigger Point is bringing to that?

It’s always against the clock. Usually when you’re dealing with a device, there’s some sort of time limit that you’re working to. We all know what being under pressure feels like but this is a whole different level – you’re trying to save lives.

The respect I have for expos is on another level because of what they do, but they try and do it so calmly and so professionally – they’ve got to be so steady. Not only have they got to have a steady hand, they’ve got to have a steady heart, a steady mind. It’s got to be focused and it’s a real strict discipline – I think that’s something that is thread through the show.

Not only that, we get to really know the characters and as much as people love the high octane and they want the drama, intensity and the cliffhangers, they also want to get to know people. They want to like and dislike characters and they want to be able to chew the fat. I think Trigger Point has got an element of all of that running through it. 

For you personally as well, after doing a role like this, are you drawn to taking on something a bit more rogue? Something like a low-octane romcom perhaps?

I’m putting it out there because Stylist is my favourite magazine. I want a romcom – will somebody just send it my way? I need to laugh! 

Maybe after this, someone like Shonda Rhimes could get in contact and put you in Bridgerton.

Exactly, I’d love that.

I love the jobs I have. I mean, if somebody said that this is what my career was going to look like way back when, I’d just say ‘As if’. Being in Line Of Duty is the making of dreams and I love that show and I love Martin (Compston) and Adrian (Dunbar).

This has been a game-changing job for me because it was my biggest job to date in terms of the role that I played in it.

All the other jobs I’ve had in between; Lol (Lorraine Jenkins – McClure’s character in This Is England) and I Am Nicola and Mother’s Day. They’re all intense, they’re all emotionally led, which is something that I’ve always been drawn to and I think I will continue always to be drawn to because it’s the reality of life, I suppose.

But there’s something making me go ‘I’d like to step out of reality and do something that’s completely happy’ or like a funny romcom. I don’t even consider myself funny but if somebody gave me a pop, I’d give it a good go.

Trigger Point premieries on ITV this weekend on Sunday 23 January at 9pm. 

Images: ITV