PEOPLE walking to work through Bolton probably found themselves doing a double take this morning as they spotted a famous actress.

Broadchurch star, Sarah Parish, was in Le Mans Crescent was in the town centre for day two of the filming of the new four-part thriller for ITV, Bancroft.

The production crew along with actors were seen outside the courts and near the arches, as the grand surroundings form the backdrop of the detective series in which Sarah plays respected DCI, Elizabeth Bancroft who has given her life to the police force — but her ruthlessness knows no bounds.

Produced by Tall Story Pictures, founded by drama producers Francis Hopkinson and Catherine Oldfield, Bancroft explores what happens when heinous crimes, long buried in the past, come back to haunt us.

The series is written and created by Kate Brooke of Mr Selfridge, Ice Cream Girls and The Making of a Lady fame.

The Bolton News:

Sarah Parish in Broadchurch 

Francis Hopkinson said: "Kate Brooke has written a clever and surprising script, with two fantastic parts for female actors to get their teeth into. We're looking forward to letting Elizabeth Bancroft loose..."

Kate added: "I wanted to explore a powerful, charming, morally ambiguous woman who has a shocking secret in her past.

"I was also fascinated to explore the relationship between an older and younger woman – Katherine begins by hero-worshipping Elizabeth and ends by obsessively wanting to bring her down."

Bolton and Prestwich, along with other locations in Greater Manchester, create the busy northern city in which police officers are portrayed as a close-knit unit, fighting together against the darkness of the world.

"Throughout the series, Bancroft is running an operation to bring down the pernicious and vicious Kamara gang.

Drama Commissioner, Jane Hudson, is overseeing the production of Bancroft.

She said: "In spite of her exemplary record as a police officer, Elizabeth Bancroft is a manipulative and destructive character. She’s not all she seems and it’ll be interesting for the audience to get to know her.

"We’re delighted to commission Bancroft from Tall Story Pictures and to be working with Kate Brooke on such excellent scripts."

READ MORE: Hollywood stars filming in Bolton town centre

Why Bolton is becoming a popular setting for shooting TV dramas

Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris said: “We’re delighted that Bolton has been picked as the location for filming this new ITV drama.

"Bolton has gained a great reputation for being a film friendly town and we’re always happy to help to facilitate any requests which come to us.

"The team who facilitate filming requests has built up good contacts with location managers and with Creative England, which is a first stop for film companies seeking locations in the area.

"Many film companies have used Bolton as a backdrop over the years and productions with a Bolton link include Last Tango in Halifax, Coronation Street, Life on Mars and many others.
"Filming puts the borough on the map and profiles Bolton to millions of viewers on prime-time television.”