Kate Brooke has opened up on the difficulties that faced the ITV series Bancroft before it was commissioned.
The crime thriller – starring Sarah Parish as a ruthless police officer – takes the broadcaster out of its natural comfort zone, and during a sit down with Digital Spy and other media recently, the showrunner dished the dirt on Bancroft's bumpy road to the screen.
Related: Bancroft's Sarah Parish says her character will "pay" in season 2
"It's quite an unusual show for ITV because traditionally, ITV is a warm heartland of lovely ladies," Brooke said.
"I tried to get this on for five years before it got commissioned. And the first time around – it was a long time ago. And the commissioner said to me, 'OK, so, the twist is that she didn't do it, yeah?" And I go, 'No, the twist is that she did it.' And they literally went, 'Oh, no, that's not ITV. No. No.'"
Related: Bancroft viewers were completely hooked – and frustrated – by the ITV drama's final episode
The showrunner continued: "It went around the houses. It went to ITV, it went to the BBC. And everyone also knew there was always something there, but they were scared of it.
"To be honest, American television has changed our view, to a degree, of what we can and can't do, I think."
Bancroft season 2 begins airing on ITV on January 1 at 9pm.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
