‘I want people to be CONFLICTED'

Russell Tovey on why his ghostly thriller is his ‘hardest job’ yet

- Caren Clark

THE SISTER NEW MON-THU / ITV / 9PM / EPS 1-4 of 4 / DRAMA

Russell Tovey always radiates an infectious enthusiasm for his work. And when TV Times meets him at ITV’s London HQ in January to talk about his latest drama, The Sister, he’s as chatty and down to earth as ever. It’s clear, however, that this role has been a difficult one to shake off...

‘It’s the hardest job I’ve done,’ says Russell, 38, whose recent credits include ITV’s Flesh and Blood and BBC1’s Years and Years. ‘Every scene is a panic attack or anxiety or screaming or crying.’

Written by Luther creator Neil Cross and based on his own 2009 novel Burial, the four-part spooky thriller sees Russell play radio producer Nathan, who, with paranormal expert Bob (Doctor Foster’s Bertie Carvel), was involved in the mysterious death of a young woman, Elise (Sex Education’s Simone Ashley).

Nathan is now happily married to Elise’s unsuspecting sister, Holly (The Good Karma Hospital’s Amrita Acharia). But will the truth be exposed when an unkempt Bob turns up and informs a horrified Nathan that Elise is haunting him and they need to move her body, which they buried in the woods?

Here, Russell tells us about the challenges of getting inside Nathan’s distressed mind...

How did Nathan become involved in Elise’s death in the first place?