Claire Church
Conflicted and internally tortured by her past life, Claire must journey into her own dark history and the case that drove her out of Manchester long ago, testing her relationships and her own strength.
Empathetic and sensitive, and passionate about seeking justice for the vulnerable, Claire's greatest strength as a police officer was also her greatest weakness.
As a young PC she put her own emotional stability on the line every day. But that was in another life, one that she can barely relate to anymore.
Along with her partner Norrie and daughter Megan, Claire has rebuilt her life on the Western Isles of Scotland, tending to their small holding, setting up a baking business with Norrie and triathalon training. But in Manchester, a storm is brewing and it is heading straight for Claire's seemingly idyllic life.
Suddenly confronted with the darkness and brutality of her past that she has tried so hard to escape, she is drawn back to Manchester, and into a case that only she can solve.
When the fragile peace she has found with Norrie is shattered, and the demons that she has buried the deepest are exposed, Claire is forced to realise that you can only out-run your past for so long.
Will she face the darkness or be consumed by it?
Anne-Marie Duff
Highly accomplished, Anne-Marie Duff is an award-winning actress on both stage and screen and is considered to be one of the UKs most versatile and admired actresses. She is currently in rehearsals for her return to the National Theatre, and this year will also see Anne-Marie star in the highly anticipated film Suffragette, directed by Sarah Gavron and written by award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan, starring alongside Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter.
Anne-Marie has carved out a hugely successful career on British television, best known for her unforgettable role as Fiona in the television series Shameless, for which she received an IFTA (Irish Film and Television Award) in 2004, and was BAFTA nominated the year after. She was also nominated for a BAFTA Award as Best Actress for her portrayal of Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen. Other television credits include Margot, Jimmy McGovern’s Emmy award-winning series and Tom Stoppard’s critically acclaimed .
A proficient and critically acclaimed theatre actress, Anne-Marie has worked extensively on stage over the past twenty years, earning a Critics Circle Theatre Award, Southbank Award and Evening Standard Theatre Award, as well as Olivier Awards nominations. Last year she made her Broadway debut in Jack Obrien’s Macbeth at the Lincoln Centre Theatre opposite Ethan Hawke. West End Theatre credits include playing Alma Rattenbury in Cause Célèbre at The Old Vic (2011), the title role of Berenice in a rewriting of Jean Racine’s tragedy (2012),Peter Gill’s Days of Wine and Roses (2005), Bernard Shaw’s The Daughter In Law (2002) and William Congreves’ The Soldiers Fortune (2007).
Anne-Marie’s notable film credits include Nowhere Boy directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, which earned Anne-Marie Best Supporting Actress awards at the British Independent Film Awards and the London Film Critics Circle Awards, plus a Best Actress award at The Evening Standard British Film Awards. She was also nominated for a Best Supporting Actress at BAFTA, IFTA and the Satellite Awards, and Best Actress at the Empire Awards. Additional film credits include Peter Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters (2002), Richard Eyre’s Notes on a Scandal (2006), Is There Anybody There? (2008), The Last Station (2009) and Before I Go To Sleep (2014).
