Hermione Norris: 'Innocent will have people debating at home!'

(Image credit: Steffan Hill)

Hermione Norris on the twists and turns in store in her new ITV thriller Innocent

ITV’s four-part thriller Innocent centres on David Collins (Lee Ingleby), who, after serving seven years in prison for murdering his wife Tara, is acquitted on a technicality at a re-trial. However, Tara’s sister Alice, played by Hermione Norris, who has been raising David’s children, is horrified by his release. But as the case is re-opened, who is really guilty?

Here, Hermione Norris tells TV Times about her new ITV thriller Innocent…

TVT What’s your take on your character?

Hermione Norris: “The drama is about the impact of David’s release on the whole family unit and how that blows apart everybody’s security. Alice is traumatised because she is absolutely convinced he is guilty. She couldn’t have her own children, so her niece and nephew are her life and that family is now under threat so she is terrified of losing everything.”

TVT Will it keep people guessing as to whether David is guilty?

HN: “Definitely. I really hope people will be debating at home. You are never quite sure what’s going on with each character. Everybody’s motives are called into question because Tara wasn't as straightforward as she seemed. But if there was a miscarriage of justice and David didn't do it, then who did?”

TVT There are some harrowing scenes, were they hard to film?

HN: “It’s very dark but I welcome that, I like an emotional challenge, but I have spent about a week in tears!”

What has it been like for you to work with Lee?

HN: “I love Lee! He was on [BBC1’s 2014 First World War drama] The Crimson Field with me. Innocent is so serious and intense but he makes me laugh. We had to have photos taken the other day and we got the giggles and couldn’t do it.”

You’re also filming Cold Feet again, you must be thrilled the revival has done so well?

HN: “I thought it was a risk at first but I’m very glad I was proven wrong! It’s lovely it has been so warmly received. People genuinely love those characters, so it’s a huge privilege to revisit it. Cold Feet will be on my epitaph!”

Innocent airs from Monday 14th to Thursday 17th May on ITV at 9pm

Caren has been a journalist specializing in TV for almost two decades and is a Senior Features Writer for TV Times, TV & Satellite Week and What’s On TV magazines and she also writes for What to Watch.

Over the years, she has spent many a day in a muddy field or an on-set catering bus chatting to numerous stars on location including the likes of Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Suranne Jones, Jamie Dornan, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Derek Jacobi as well as Hollywood actors such as Glenn Close and Kiefer Sutherland.

Caren will happily sit down and watch any kind of telly (well, maybe not sci-fi!), but she particularly loves period dramas like Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and The Crown and she’s also a big fan of juicy crime thrillers from Line of Duty to Poirot.

In her spare time, Caren enjoys going to the cinema and theatre or curling up with a good book.