Jed Mercurio hopes his new show will inspire women to become bomb disposal experts.
Vicky McClure could inspire women to become bomb disposal experts
The 56-year-old TV writer - who’s known for his work on ‘Line of Duty’ and ‘Bodyguard’ – has penned new six-part fictional thriller ‘Trigger Point’, which will give viewers an insight into the world of Metropolitan Police Bomb Disposal squad.
And he thinks Vicky McClure, who portrays officer Lana Washington in the new series, could inspire other women to take on a similar role for real.
Jed told the i: “In terms of the gender balance within the world of explosives officers, it is absolutely a very male-dominated environment,
“But we all know professions should be more gender-balanced and there should be a much more level playing field for entry to these roles.
“So it feels like a good statement to have a female lead – there are women who do occupy these roles and as we go forward there will be more."
Speaking about Vicky's character, he added: “She doesn’t carry out her role in a feminine way, she’s just a professional. I think it’s really important in terms of representation.
"If we showed the world as male-dominated it might be sending the wrong message to people who might be considering that career.”
Vicky also hopes taking on the role could also inspire women to become female expos in the police force.
She added: “There’s only a very small number of expos working with the Met, and none of them are women as far as I’m aware.
"But there would be a lot of female expos in the Army. So I like that this is a story about a female expo, and it’s completely possible.”
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