Interestingly, McClure doesn’t consider herself a horror fan but loves “making people jump”. She recalls filming Line Of Duty when she and her co-star Martin Compston would film videos attempting to scare each other on set and then share them online. “It became this viral thing for a while, but I do think there’s something quite exciting about feeling scared.”

A large part of fear can be location and a huge chunk of the series takes place in Emma’s family home, which becomes the site for many of her harrowing, sleepless incidents. The cast and crew spent around six weeks filming in the house so they got to know the location, which McClure found fascinating as the house becomes its own character in the story. “I’m a creature of habit so I like to know where I’m going, what I’m doing and where to leave my bag,” McClure laughs.

Alongside McClure as the lead, the series also focuses on several other female characters who have deep and complex relationships with each other – such as Emma’s sister, Phoebe (played by her Line Of Duty co-star Leanne Best) and their mother, Patricia. For McClure, her relationships with her mum and sister are happy and loving – she feels “lucky and blessed” to have those bonds and tried to bring some of that into these on-screen relationships. Her connection with Leanne was also really helpful for developing their sisterly bond for Insomnia and collaborating on what it feels like when these bonds are disrupted and thrown into disarray.

As the title of the series suggests, the major focus of the plot is around Emma’s sleeplessness and how this then affects her relationships, career and general life. “It made me think about my own sleep patterns and how stressful broken sleep can be on your mind. It’s frightening to think that having a couple of nights of sleeplessness can mess up your thought process and cause you to behave in a way you wouldn’t normally,” says McClure.

The Trigger Point actor also serves as a producer on the series, alongside her company Build Your Own Films. Did she find working as a producer and the lead actor in a series a juggling act of sorts? “I’ve always been quite the busybody, I like to know what’s going on. So, as an actor, we usually get protected from the comings and goings so we can focus on our performance, but I’m a nosy and curious person, so working as a producer as well is very fulfilling and enhances the whole experience.”

Insomnia will premiere on Thursday 23 May, exclusively on Paramount+ in the UK.

“There’s something quite exciting about feeling scared”: Vicky McClure on her new thriller series, Insomnia