New Disney Plus thriller series The Stolen Girl follows an international manhunt which begins after a young girl is kidnapped from a sleepover with a new schoolfriend.
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Denise Gough and Jim Sturgess play the girl's parents, while Holliday Grainger plays the kidnapper and Ambika Mod plays investigative journalist Selma.
Heading up the British investigation is Shona, a police officer played by Bronagh Waugh.
Now, Waugh has revealed that she worked with police consultant Lisa Farrand on the series, with Farrand being an ex-DI and a schoolfriend of Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright. In fact, Farrand formed part of the basis for Sarah Lancashire's famous police officer in that series, Catherine Cawood.
Bronagh Waugh as Shona Sinclair in The Stolen Girl. Disney Plus
"A big appeal of this project for me was working with the police consultant, Lisa Farrand," Waugh said. "She is an ex-DI at Yorkshire Police, who Sarah Lancashire's character in Happy Valley was based on.
"I have wanted to work with her for a number of years, so I was really excited. That was my fan girl moment!"
She continued: "It was a thrill for me to have that insider knowledge – even down to the suit Shona wore. Lisa was like, 'It would be a Next suit; it would be high street. And you're often a bit unbuttoned or pulled out because you're overworked and working double shifts.'
"There were loads of small details I could take on board to make Shona more truthful. I was constantly looking across the room to see if Lisa was happy. If she gave me the nod, I was like, 'ok, I've nailed it!'"
Waugh, who has played police roles before, also revealed what she learned working on The Stolen Girl, highlighting the international element of the investigation and the hunt for the missing girl.
"There was an international element to this role which was slightly different – learning how Europol liaise with the British police," she explained. "There is a huge bureaucratic process of paperwork and that made me understand the frustration the family might feel towards how slowly things move.
"And also, why they maybe rely a bit more heavily on Selma, who doesn't need to ask for help or permission from anyone. It was interesting learning about that. It must be a big bug bear for people in Shona's role, where you just want to do your job, but you've got to fill in forms, tick boxes and liaise with officers."
The Stolen Girl is coming to Disney+ on Wednesday 16th April 2025.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
