On the front line

Star Russell Tovey tells us how his pandemic drama pays tribute to our key-worker heroes

- Elaine Reilly

There have been some incredibly powerful and innovative dramas made in response to lockdown.

This week brings another as actor Russell Tovey stars in No Masks, a thought-provoking one-off special based on the real-life testimonies of key workers in east London during the coronavirus pandemic.

Airing on Sky Arts, now a free to-air channel, the collection of monologues sees Russell (Years and Years, Flesh and Blood) play Noel, a life-loving police officer faced with cases of cohesive control and domestic violence.

We also meet compassionate palliative-care nurse Linda (The Crown’s Lorraine Ashbourne), who tells of a shocking incident in her past, and junior doctor Anuja (The Witcher’s Anya Chalotra), who’s struggling with a manipulative boyfriend.

Elsewhere, care-home worker Vincent (Chicago Fire’s Eamonn Walker) sacrifices seeing his elderly mother because of staff shortages at work, while his former patient Annie (Harlots star Anna Calder-Marshall) is now shielding at home.

Russell, 38, called TV Times to tell us more…