WILLIAM Ash had blood on his hands when he filmed another classic drama from Manchester's Red Productions. The former Burn It actor plays police detective Chrissie, trying to catch the killer of a schoolgirl, in a compelling and innovative six-part series,
Conviction.Starting on BBC3 next month - with plans for a New Year repeat showing on BBC1 - the drama explores the line between right and wrong.
After the arrest of a prime suspect, Chrissie finds himself deep in the woods with reckless police colleague Joe (Ian Puleston-Davies). Attempting to terrify their prisoner into confessing, Joe ends up killing him with a shovel.
A special effect ensured the scene, filmed over several nights at Delamere forest in Cheshire, looks very convincing.
"The director, the camera crew, all of us were covered in fake blood. There was an awful lot of it," grimaces Manchester-born William.
Part of a family of policemen - with a lawyer for a sister - the young detective is haunted by the experience. Although the dead man is initially officially listed as missing, life for Chrissie has changed for ever.
"The guilt is all-consuming for him and he can't cope or come to terms with what they've done."
The ensemble drama features a cast of seven main characters, including Bolton-born Nicholas Gleaves as Chrissie's brother, Ray, the man in charge of the murder inquiry.
David Warner returns to his Manchester roots to play their father Lenny, a retired CID officer suffering from Alzheimer's.
"All the members of the cast were really pleased to get this job," explains William. "As soon as you read the script, you just knew it was something special."
Before filming began, he spent time with some off-duty Greater Manchester Police officers, asking them about the emotional side of the job.
Question
Chrissie is one of the officers who has to break the news of the schoolgirl's death to her mother."They answered every single question we had," he recalls.
"I wanted to know what it was like going up to somebody's front door, knowing you're going to tell them something that is going to destroy their lives. One of the officers said it was terrifying, because you don't know how the person was going to react. It's quite a burden to carry.
"Sometimes, even the police say inappropriate things, but they are only human and I think people forget that. That's what this programme is about. I hope we show that they are just like you and me and sometimes they make mistakes."
Still remembered as Stephen Snow in two series of Where The Heart Is, William has gone on to roles in Clocking Off, Daddy's Girl, and Manchester-filmed Burn It. He's also keen to return to the Royal Exchange after his last appearance there in Port.
"Manchester is the only place that'll employ me," he jokes. "It's great that so many dramas are being filmed up here. There's a real wealth of talent in the north." Sadly, there wasn't much time to show visiting co-stars the sights. "It was quite hard work on this, so we didn't do much socialising," says William. "But a lot of the cast had worked here before, so they knew their way around."
William is still in touch with Burn It co-star and childhood friend Marsha Thomason, who filmed alongside Eddie Murphy in Haunted House and went on to American TV hit, Las Vegas.
"She's doing great. I'm so pleased for her. I don't have any real ambition to make it big in Hollywood. I just want to play interesting and challenging roles. It could be in fringe theatre or in Hollywood.
"I'm not ambitious for the level of fame that Hollywood brings. I want to do things that will challenge the mainstream, and I think we have done that with Conviction."
