David Morrissey gets serious

25 February 2009 12:05pm

David Morrissey believes his new drama, Red Riding, is serious stuff.

The actor says the series - an adaptation of acclaimed writer David Peace's novels - says exploring crime in Yorkshire in the 1970s and 1980s is important.

"I think it's about a part of our history that we should really look at," David said. "I believe in order to move forward then we have to examine the past slightly. I think it's a time when institutions like the police force had a lot of problems, it's certainly undoubtedly a dark drama."

He sees the Channel 4 programme, which will be aired in three parts, as an important comment on our times.

"I don't know why it's being made now, you never know that with drama but I do think it's got a lot to say about a world we're about to enter," said David, who plays Detective Inspector Maurice Jobson.

The gritty show focuses on a police department over three different time periods, one of which is when the Yorkshire Ripper is terrorising the force. David said that the drama's grim reality was what most attracted him to the script.

"I think the main thing for me is when I get a drama and I read it, it's always, 'Is this something I believe in?' There's a danger with dramas like this that they can become sensational or they can just be dark for dark reasons but I did feel that in this the characters were fully three dimensional, I thought there was a seriousness about it."

:: Red Riding starts on Channel 4 on March 5.

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