Katherine Kelly joins BBC Scotland drama, ‘Field Of Blood: The Dead Hour’

Acclaimed actress, Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street, The Best Possible Taste) has joined the cast of the second series of award-winning crime drama, Field Of Blood: The Dead Hour, alongside David Morrissey, Jayd Johnson and Ford Kiernan.

A BBC Scotland series written and directed by David Kane (Shetland, Taggart, Rebus) and adapted from the popular Denise Mina novel; Kelly plays ambitious new editor-in-chief, a no-nonsense woman in a man’s world, determined to bring the newspaper into the modern age, against editor Murray Devlin’s (David Morrissey, The Walking Dead, True Love, Five Days) wishes.

Following on from BBC Scotland’s award-winning drama Field Of Blood, The Dead Hour takes Paddy (Bafta Scotland winner Jayd Johnson, River City) through the changing face of journalism, set against the backdrop of the miners’ strike, as she tries to carve a career for herself in the ferociously male-dominated world of 1980s newspaper journalism.

With Maloney and Devlin at loggerheads in the newsroom, an innocuous call about a disturbance in an affluent part of the city leads Paddy and reporter George McVie (Ford Kiernan, Still Game, Sea Of Souls) to uncover dirty tricks, police corruption, a government cover-up and cold blooded murder.

Katherine Kelly is thrilled to be part of the drama: “I’m delighted to join the cast of Field Of Blood: The Dead Hour. I think Davy’s [Kane] scripts are fantastic, along with his vision for the show. Maloney is a ferociously ambitious character and I’m excited to play such a ruthless, yet complicated, woman. I’m really looking forward to filming in Glasgow with a top class cast and crew. ”

The drama also stars Amy Manson (Young James Herriot, Being Human), David Hayman (Robin Hood, Trial & Retribution), Ron Donachie (Downton Abbey, Waterloo Road) and Michael Nardone (Skins, River City) alongside established cast including Bronagh Gallagher (The Accused, Tamara Drew), Brian Pettifer (Hattie, Rab C Nesbitt) and Matt Costello (Taggart, Rab C Nesbitt).

Producer is Willy Wands (Young James Herriot, Midnight Man, River City), executive produced by Andrea Calderwood (The Last King Of Scotland, Generation Kill) for Slate North, Christopher Aird (Shetland, Call The Midwife, Prisoners’ Wives) for BBC Scotland with support from Creative Scotland. Field Of Blood was commissioned by Ewan Angus.

Field Of Blood: The Dead Hour began filming this week on location in Glasgow until late December and the drama will transmit on the BBC in 2013.