Anne-Marie Duff stars in controversial BBC thriller
Entertainment

Anne-Marie Duff stars in controversial BBC thriller

FROM Darkness, a new BBC psychological thriller written by Katie Baxendale and starring Anne-Marie Duff, has already caused controversy.

The four part series features Duff playing ex-Detective Constable Claire Church who is anxious to escape her past.

With her husband Norrie (actor Richard Rankin) and daughter Megan she heads for the Outer Hebrides in the Western Isles.

But, predictably enough, her detective skills are soon required.

There is one problem with the series, as far as people in the Outer Hebrides are concerned —  it was filmed by the BBC many hundreds of miles to the south, in Argyll on the Scottish mainland.

Perhaps even worse, part of it was also filmed in England.

Western Isles Council Leader Angus Campbell told Herald Scotland: “It is deeply disappointing that the BBC did not find some way of shooting in the Western Isles, we have some good facilities here...it is very disappointing that they did not come.”

But for Anne-Marie Duff, for whom this was her debut in a Scottish set production, the Argyll setting was enchanting: “It was absolutely stunning, magical. We were there for three weeks and we had Greek island sun the whole time pretty much,” she said.

Duff, who met her Scottish husband James McAvoy when both were starring in Shameless, said of the new series: "Katie Baxendale has created a beautifully complex character in her female protagonist.

"As soon as I started to read episode one I felt excited at the prospect of being involved. It's a world in which all of the characters have real stories to tell. Also I loved the BBC series The Village and one of its directors, Dominic Leclerc, will be our director on this. I couldn't be happier."

From Darkness is on BBC One on Sunday at 9pm.