Malpractice star on Line of Duty comparisons: 'It's its own thing'

"I suppose the danger with World Productions is it being compared to Line of Duty, the Mecca of World Productions productions," she told RadioTimes.com and other press. "But no, I didn't feel that at all. It felt very, very unique when I read it. I didn't think there was anything else like it. It's absolutely its own thing."

Read more:

• Dalgliesh star expands on Kate Miskin's "feelings" for the detective
• The Hunt for Raoul Moat's Lee Ingleby on series's "hollow ending"

Vigil star Lorne MacFadyen also appears in Malpractice, in which he plays Lucinda's husband Tom, who is a very different kettle of fish to the character he portrayed in the BBC drama.

"As an actor that's the dream," he said of playing contrasting parts. "It's very rarely your choice what roles you get offered but for sure, to be in a show which has a similar tension and pulse to Vigil but is completely night and day different, and the part is very different as well, it's just great to be able to play that."

MacFadyen also expanded on the series' big question: what is Lucinda hiding?

"We meet them at a point where Tom is the house husband – not of his own choosing, his business plans got scuppered by COVID. And he's been put into the less traditional gender role of being the house husband and Lucinda being the breadwinner, so there's already a pressure from that shame that he is experiencing.

"And then there's the external pressure of everything that's going on privately for Lucinda, which has created a fracture in the family, in the household, and that's widening the more the pressure builds. And Tom is in a place where he is very much in the dark about what's happening with Lucinda and he's trying to figure out how he can help her when he doesn't know what the problem is."

Other actors rounding out the cast are Jordan Kouamé, Priyanka Patel (Sadie J), Scott Chambers (Innocent), James Purefoy (The Following, Sex Education), Brian Bovell (Hollyoaks), Tristan Sturrock (Poldark), Hannah Walters (This Is England, Time) and Georgina Rich (War of the Worlds).

The five-part medical thriller was written by Grace Ofori-Attah, who used to be a doctor herself, and directed by Philip Barantini (Boiling Point).

Malpractice airs on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 23rd April. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide. Visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.