Anna Friel is set to reprise her role as DS Marcella Backland in ITV’s noir detective drama, Marcella, when it airs later this month.

And, while there are plenty of tough female cops on the small screen at the moment (the most recent of which is DI Kip Glaspie, Carey Mulligan’s character in Collateral), Marcella certainly stands out from the crowd. She’s tough, but she’s vulnerable. She’s fiercely independent and capable, despite the fact she suffers from inexplicable blackouts. And she’s coolly logical – yet still finds herself a victim of her own passionate outbursts.

Naturally, the Hans Rosenfeldt-helmed show proved to be a ratings hit during its first outing in 2016. And yet, despite this, Friel, who won an International Emmy Award in November for the role, has admitted that she was initially concerned about joining the cast of the show.

Speaking to reporters, the actress said (via BT): “I just thought, ‘Oh God, how can I do this, there’s so many amazing female detectives that have done it so well, I don’t know what I can offer differently.’

“So I had to really work hard on that.”

However, relieved that series one managed to hold its own among the rest of the crime dramas, she then jumped at the chance of a second run.

“I think when it was received as well as it was, I thought, ‘Well, maybe I have done something that is different and I’ve got my own ownership and my own stamp on it,’” she confessed.

“That was very nice.”

Anna Friel gets really honest about her role in ITV’s Marcella