All you need to know about Martin Freeman’s ‘chaotic but exciting’ BBC show The Responder

24.01.2022 - 20:29 / ok.co.uk

There have been so many police dramas on TV, it’s hard to imagine a new concept, but that’s exactly what former copper Tony Schumacher has come up with in The Responder. The series looks at the gritty reality of being a bobby on the beat who has to respond immediately to crimes and incidents in one of the UK’s most deprived areas. The drama takes place over the course of five nights and follows Chris Carson, played by Martin Freeman, an urgent response officer doing night shifts in Liverpool.

He’s been demoted from detective to police constable for perceived corruption and is trying to hide mental health issues from his wife and daughter. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter. You can sign up at the top of the page.

To make matters worse, he has to work with rookie partner Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo) who dislikes him. There’s more stress for Chris in the form of Ray Mullen, the man behind his demotion, who is gunning to get him fired. Here, Martin tells us what to expect… What does a responder do? They are the coppers who literally respond to emergency calls coming in.

Chris could be called to all sorts of situations – whether it’s a report of an old woman who’s died or someone has set fire to something or a burglary. It could be anything and everything. He is also called into situations that are not going to play out well.

There are lots of mental health issues, addiction, homelessness, violence and a lot of humour as well. What’s your character Chris like? He’s very intelligent, he’s emotionally smart, but he finds it hard to be open.The amount of plates he has spinning is frightening and if he drops one, he could wind up dead. I don’t often play