Vicky McClure stars in ‘Without Sin’

Vicky McClure has been involved in some of the most acclaimed TV dramas of the past few years, including This is England and Line of Duty.

However, her new series Without Sin is particularly close to heart. Not only does she play the lead role, but the drama comes from her own production company, BYO Films, and was shot and set in her native Nottingham.

She’s certainly glad to be showing her home town on screen, saying: “Every city says it’s all about the people and that’s certainly the case in Nottingham. I see the amazing talent that’s here… there’s obviously something in it. Yet we don’t tend to shout about it. I want people to see what our city looks and feels like.

“The fact that I still live here and can now bring my work home is a massive deal to me.”

As well as ensuring she had a short commute, Without Sin, which is now coming to ITV1 after previously being available on the ITVX streaming service, also offers McClure a very meaty role.

She plays Stella Tomlinson, a grieving mother whose 14-year-old daughter Maisy was found dead in the family home, with the bloodied, hooded figure of Charles Stone (Johnny Harris) standing over her.

Three years on from her devastating loss, Stella is struggling with her feelings of guilt, and leads a solitary life as a night-time Uber driver.

McClure describes Stella as: “Lost, grieving, paranoid, scared, lonely and wanting to be lonely… All those emotions that come with feeling like you’ve got nothing to live for. If ever you outlive your child, it will change you forever – that’s what has happened to Stella. Without Sin picks up her story three years on – you can see a real change in her image and lifestyle.”

She is also estranged from her husband Paul (Perry Fitzpatrick), who seems to be coping better with his loss, but they are briefly reunited when they are contacted by Restorative Justice about Maisy’s killer, Charles.

Stella agrees to go to the prison to talk to him in person, a decision McClure thinks is understandable.

The actress says: “I’ve heard it said that curiosity is the strongest human emotion, and I don’t dispute that. If someone says, ‘I’ve got something to tell you but I can’t tell you right now,’ that can stop your entire day.”

She adds: “We don’t know what questions she’s got, but she would have relived that night so many times in her head, thinking about how she could have done things differently. If ever there was an opportunity for that to be quashed so she might move forward in some way, what has she got to lose? That’s her reasoning, alongside saying ‘I’ll do what I want,’ to Paul, who doesn’t want her to meet Charles. It’s quite a human reaction.”

Stella arrives at the prison, expecting Charles to atone for his sins and apologise for killing her daughter, so when he instead insists that he was framed, how will the grieving mum react?

We won’t have to wait long to find out as the four-part series is showing on consecutive evenings.