BBC One’s latest police drama The Responder, starring award-winning actor Martin Freeman, is set to unveil the mental struggles of life on the front line of British policing.

The five-part series will follow urgent response officer Chris Carson (Martin Freeman) over a series of night shifts on the streets of Liverpool. Chris, alongside his new rookie partner Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo) must navigate each relentless night together, understanding that survival in such a high-pressure career depends on them helping each other.

Written by Liverpudlian ex-police officer Tony Schumacher, The Responder focuses on the mental health impacts a career that involves regular callouts to crime can have. The series will cover Chris’ struggles as an officer who is stretched thin and chaotic. Although he always wants to do the right thing, he finds himself taking unconventional approaches to do so.

While Chris suffers some dark moments, flashes of comic relief should also be expected – thanks in part to the typical ‘Scouse humour’ which has been championed in the drama and provided mainly by newcomers Josh Finan and Emily Fairn who play Marco and Casey, two criminals who Chris encounters on his night shifts.

These local actors play young, tough characters in bad situations and Josh recalls being pleasantly surprised after reading the script since it “captured Liverpool so well”.

Filmed and set in and around Liverpool, it was important that the drama kept the authenticity of local writer Tony Schumacher’s own experience. Tony sees The Responder as his “own story”, as he wrote the script with his former police career in mind. The process allowed him to reflect on all the things he’d seen as an officer in Liverpool, insisting that the series “couldn’t have been set anywhere else”.

The Responder embraces Liverpool’s culture and the cast recall feeling warmly welcomed during filming in the city last year, with support from Liverpool Film Office and local people.

The Responder will provide a unique insight into the mind of a front line police officer. Honest and unglamorous yet funny and exciting, it’s set to be a gripping watch. The five-part drama premieres Monday 24 January on BBC One.

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