Hunter, a new two-part drama from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Drama Production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ One
Janet McTeer – DS Amy Foster
Janet McTeer was delighted to reprise the character of Amy Foster from drama Five Days, and had great fun playing her.
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"I've never played a character like Foster before, she's hard-drinking, hard-working, un-PC – it was just brilliant to do."
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When we first meet DS Foster in Hunter she is away from the action, something that doesn't suit her well.
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As Janet explains: "Amy has taken early retirement and so now of course she's bored out of her brains. Half the time she doesn't know what to do with herself and the rest of the time she's drunk, so when Barclay invites her back to work she really couldn’t be happier."
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One of the things that attracted Janet to the role is the special relationship between Barclay and Foster – which is a close but platonic one.
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"I like the fact that people probably look at them and wonder if they are a couple or not – but they really are just great friends. They're both single, both had marriages that went belly-up, they have things in common, they probably both fall for deeply unsuitable people. They hang out, keep each other company and look after each other.
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"You may well wonder sometimes 'why are they not together' but they're just not. But they get on fantastically well, and I like that."
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When it comes to working together however, it's the differences in their personalities that make them a formidable unit.
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Janet explains: "Barclay's a lateral thinker; he sits and ponders. Foster on the other hand is very organised and practical – if there's something that needs doing she'll sort it quickly and well. They work well together because Barclay has all those ideas, and she's really good at making them happen."
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Foster has reached the level of Detective Sergeant by working her way up through the ranks, which makes her a woman of incredible experience – and a formidable character amongst her team.
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"She's seen it all – she's been a part of every level, she knows what every job entails. Because she's retained that blue-collar thing, she can turn around to some young copper and really put them in their place much more effectively than someone who's done a few degrees might be able to."
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It also makes her position within the team a conflicting one, but ultimately gives her a certain respect amongst her colleagues.
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"I think they have an absolute love/hate relationship with her! They love her because she's one of them and she's good at her job, and they hate her because she's bloody tough and if they do something wrong she absolutely doesn't pull any punches!"
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Hunter includes a lot of detail about the realities of police work and day to day bureaucracy involved in the job.
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The actors spoke to a detective who had years of experience in the sorts of cases Barclay and Foster have to solve, giving them a greater understanding of the processes and the emotional impact of their work.
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"It was a refresher for Hugh and I as we'd learnt some of the processes involved for Five Days – but it was great for the team to hear him talk. He explained how you get to be a Detective Sergeant, how you get to be a Fast Tracker, what each of the jobs entail, and how all the processes work – who'd talk to whom, how and where.
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"He also made us think about how you would cope with working on cases that are really dreadful. How do you cope with meeting violence or misery or death on a daily basis? If you have children and you're dealing with a rape case, how do you cope with your daughter? How do you manage to separate one from the other? He was fantastic."
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Working on the drama has left Janet with a greater appreciation and respect for the police force, and she comments: "The police forces are given such a hard time, but in actual fact what would we do without them? They do an incredible job.
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"Your average police officer doesn't earn a vast amount of money even when they've been working for many years. They do it because they're passionate about making a contribution to people's lives. And they're all slight adrenaline junkies too, I think!"
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