A Priest Under Siege

On location in Liverpool, Sean Bean tells us about playing a kind but troubled Catholic priest who’s fighting to save his parishioners – and himself…

- Caren Clark

From swashbuckling soldier Sharpe to stoic warrior Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, Sean Bean has made his name playing action heroes, but in 2012 award-winning writer Jimmy McGovern gave the actor one of the most acclaimed roles of his career as haunted transvestite Tracie in Accused.

Now, Sean is teaming up with Jimmy again for another equally challenging role as a Catholic priest in BBC1’s blistering new state-of the-nation drama Broken.

As TV Times sits down for a chat with Sean at a hotel in Liverpool, where the series is being filmed, it’s clear that his role as compassionate Father Michael Kerrigan is an incredibly special one for him.

‘To go from playing a transvestite to a priest shows quite a wide range,’ smiles Sean, 58, who’s also an executive producer on the drama.

‘Having worked with Jimmy on Accused, which was wonderful, I jumped at the chance to play Father Michael, who has a disturbing, intriguing and fascinating story,’ he adds.

Six-part series Broken is set in Father Michael’s impoverished parish in an unnamed northern town, where there is great hardship.

‘The show is not all “grim up north”, there is a lot of hope and positivity and also some dark humour,’ says Sean. ‘But as the title suggests, this parish is broken and it reflects what is happening in many UK cities, especially up north.

‘The community doesn’t have a lot going for it; there are no jobs or money around. It has been downtrodden and decimated.’