{"id":22307,"date":"2025-03-11T08:50:05","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T12:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2025-03-12T09:21:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:21:24","slug":"vicky-mcclure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/","title":{"rendered":"Vicky McClure Talks Trigger Point"},"content":{"rendered":"

Season two of\u00a0Trigger Point<\/em>\u00a0landed some 30 million streams on ITVX, with the Jed Mercurio-produced thriller becoming the second most-watched drama for U.K. broadcaster ITV last year. Distributed worldwide by All3Media International,\u00a0Trigger Point<\/em>\u00a0was recently greenlit for a third season, with Vicky McClure set to reprise her starring turn as bomb disposal officer Lana Washington. McClure, who previously worked with Mercurio on six seasons of the megahit\u00a0Line of Duty<\/em>, tells\u00a0TV Drama<\/em>\u00a0about what\u2019s in store for her character and discusses the work she\u2019s done helping dementia patients in the U.K., most notably creating Our Dementia Choir, an initiative chronicled in her BBC documentary of the same name.<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA:\u00a0<\/strong>What made you want to say yes to\u00a0Trigger Point<\/em>? I understand the role was written with you in mind.
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0Apparently so, which is always a huge compliment to any actor. That\u2019s what we all hope and dream would be the scenario, but you never expect it. Jed [Mercurio] did approach me and said, \u201cWe\u2019ve got this show in development, and we\u2019d love you to attach yourself.\u201d The biggest attraction for me was it was a world I knew nothing about. With terrorism, you don\u2019t tend to think too much about the people behind it because the event itself takes over. When you do start to learn what they do and the technical side of it, it\u2019s a lot. And the characters behind it. Who\u2019s brave enough to be in control? Who\u2019s brave enough to do that job? And also the female side of it\u2014females are less likely to be in that position.<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA:\u00a0<\/strong>You mentioned the technical side. What kind of research did you have to do to get into character?
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0The technical side of it comes down to a team we have. Joel [Snarr, a consultant on the show] is an EXPO [a bomb disposal advisor]; he has been for many years. He\u2019s an expert in the field, and he was able to work with us in a way that you need somebody to work in this job. We need to have a bit of artistic license because this is telly. Joel would say, If we were doing this for real, you\u2019d be looking at this device for five hours\u2014that\u2019s not very entertaining for anybody! It\u2019s all about trying to find a balance. We meet with Joel before we start shooting, and he talks us through devices. From what we see in the news, we know that these devices can be simply made. As we\u2019ve gone on, the devices have become more complex because there are only so many people who want to watch me snapping some wires. The collar bomb in series two was the most harrowing of all. It\u2019s just trying to be inventive in entertainment and ensuring that we\u2019re keeping it as real as possible. I\u2019ve learned an awful lot about bomb disposal devices, more than I ever expected to know.<\/p>\n

In terms of the psychological side of it, that always comes down to lots of reading. I have friends and people like Joel who have worked in the forces and the police. That gallows humor is important to have that light relief. It\u2019s also to make it as relevant as we can and authentic. Lana is not going to be shocked every time she sees a bomb or be scared. It\u2019s all about trying not to seem like you\u2019re reacting how I would.<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA: <\/strong>As a viewer, you feel the tension from those scenes; I imagine you don\u2019t want it to feel like that on set! How do you switch off, as it were, in between takes or when you leave for the day?
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0For me, music is a massive part of it. I\u2019ve got connections with Our Dementia Choir and Day Fever [a daytime disco] and other bits of my life. Music breaks up the energy and steps you away from what you are doing. And at home, I use the telly\u2014I put on something like\u00a0The Traitors<\/em>; telly that is easy to watch. I like to be on the phone with my mates and my family. Nothing exciting!<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA:\u00a0<\/strong>Having come off playing a police officer in\u00a0Line of Duty<\/em>, were you concerned about taking on another law-enforcement type role for fear of being typecast?
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0It crossed my mind. What I find quite frustrating about telly in general is\u2014and I\u2019m looking at this from a producing point of view now because I\u2019ve got my own production company\u2014[commissioners will say] \u201cWe\u2019ve already got a show set in the Midlands.\u201d And I\u2019ll say, \u201cWell, you can have more than one when we\u2019ve got I don\u2019t know how many cop shows running at the same time!\u201d That can apply to an actor\u2019s perspective as well. There are actors out there where you\u2019d be gutted if they weren\u2019t portraying the role we love to see them do. What excites me more than anything is working with people that I like. Having connections as I do with people like Jed makes me feel comfortable knowing that I\u2019m going into a show that will be well managed, produced and written. That was a big part of it. Also, she\u2019s not a copper, so I can be less legal about things. Lana doesn\u2019t stick to the rulebook all the time. There was much more movement for me and more character behind the scenes. You see Lana away from work much more than we would Kate Fleming, so there was much more for me to play with. The comparison was there, and it was on my mind, but it didn\u2019t stop me from it. And I don\u2019t think it should stop anyone. We should all be grateful to grab the jobs that we can.<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA:\u00a0<\/strong>I know it\u2019s still early, but what can you tell us about the recently greenlit third season of\u00a0Trigger Point<\/em>?
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019re still in a bit of development with some of the scripts, but we\u2019re returning to Lana, and the only thing that will keep her going is her job. It\u2019s the one thing that destroys her at the same time. It\u2019s that constant push and pull that she\u2019s battling. She\u2019s lost so many people around her, including her family and friends at work. It\u2019s within her heart and desire to ensure she saves as many people as possible. We will see Lana continue the battle of her mental health. It is on the floor now. She\u2019s hit a point where she\u2019s got to try and continue in the role. She has to prove to the powers that be that she\u2019s capable. At the same time, she\u2019s got to prove to her team that she can run it. She\u2019s got to hide a lot of stuff by doing that. What we see is that lonely battle she\u2019s having. She\u2019s trying many different methods and things that will help keep her level, but it won\u2019t last, and people will be lost in the process.<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA:\u00a0<\/strong>Being at the top of the call sheet, what kind of atmosphere do you try to foster on set?
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0Let\u2019s just enjoy it. This is not real. We\u2019re not in this actual situation. We are blessed to be in the positions and the jobs that we\u2019re in. I want there to be a happy set. I know that\u2019s not always realistic, but if people have a problem, they can say it. It\u2019s always about an open floor. Whatever set you\u2019re on, it always comes down from the top. If your execs and producers are present and happy to have the discussions and want to make it a happy place to work, you will have a happy shoot. As an exec, I\u2019m happy to let all the professionals do their jobs. I don\u2019t want to step on toes and start picking the scripts and shots apart. My role is to lead by example, have a laugh and enjoy it. We have some brilliant directors and writers; they want people to get into the bones of their characters. We can cut lines here and there where we feel like they\u2019re not needed. Then, the actor feels like they belong to the character and have a bit of ownership over it. For me, it\u2019s just the human side of it. There\u2019s nothing nicer than a crew. They all want to help each other and get the job done. We\u2019re in a good place.<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA:\u00a0<\/strong>Is there anything else about\u00a0Trigger Point<\/em>\u00a0or other projects brewing that you can tell me about?
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0With\u00a0Trigger Point<\/em>, we\u2019ve been blessed to see the reaction to [the announcement of] season three; people were buzzing. Coming up for me next is [the release of] a Kenneth Branagh movie [The Last Disturbance of Made<\/em>line Hynde<\/em>], which I loved doing. Build Your Own Films is a working-class production company, and we\u2019re fighting hard to get these productions out there and get distributors and channels to take risks. We\u2019re trying to break the mold by putting on stuff that feels authentically working class.<\/p>\n

TV DRAMA:\u00a0<\/strong>I want to talk to you about your work with Our Dementia Choir and how that has created a new avenue of expression for you, personally and professionally.
\nMCCLURE:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019ve managed to build a platform and a profile where I feel like it has a purpose, and I might as well put it to good use. The work that I do with Our Dementia Choir and dementia in general, there\u2019s such a long way to go, but me turning up at 10 Downing Street or Our Dementia Choir performing in a space that you wouldn\u2019t usually see people with dementia performing feels like we\u2019re progressing. The millions of people who are dealing with dementia see very little being done. Diagnosis is such a long and tricky road. Our Dementia Choir shows that you can live well with it. We have to make sure we\u2019re there for people, especially for those that don\u2019t have families. There\u2019s so much more that we should be doing. I don\u2019t mind being the spokesperson for that where I can. And the choir, my God, they are their own stars now. It doesn\u2019t require my presence at these performances. People are desperate to watch them sing and are uplifted by them. The science behind it says everything, and people should be given this advice about music when they go to their GP. It really can make a difference to that person\u2019s day or week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The star of Trigger Point on what\u2019s in store for her character in the upcoming third season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":22311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,70],"tags":[314,8739,7599],"class_list":["post-22307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-interviews","category-top-stories","tag-all3media-international","tag-trigger-point","tag-vicky-mcclure","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nVicky McClure Talks Trigger Point - TVDRAMA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vicky McClure Talks Trigger Point - TVDRAMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The star of Trigger Point on what\u2019s in store for her character in the upcoming third season.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVDRAMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-11T12:50:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-12T13:21:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/03\/Trigger-Point_S02.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/\",\"name\":\"Vicky McClure Talks Trigger Point - TVDRAMA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-11T12:50:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-12T13:21:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/vicky-mcclure\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Vicky McClure Talks Trigger Point\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/\",\"name\":\"TVDRAMA\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvdrama\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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