The Body Farm

Viewers mourning the end of Waking The Dead after nine series haven’t seen the last of pathologist Dr Eve Lockhart, played by Tara Fitzgerald, who returns in a new spin-off show called The Body Farm.

The ghoulish-sounding establishment made the odd appearance in Waking The Dead, axed earlier this year, and now takes centre stage in a six-part BBC drama created in association with Projector Pictures, owned by Trevor Eve, better known as Det Supt Peter Boyd.

Based on a real life facility in Tennessee where human decomposition is studied in order to determine exact time of death, it’s a crime show with a twist, which also stars Keith Allen as DI Hale who calls on Eve’s team to help him solve crimes.

Filming is currently taking place on location and at the BBC Manchester studios where TV Choice was given a sneak preview of the impressive lab set and met the cast. Production designers have created a scientist’s paradise complete with fully functioning computers, state of the art technology and a mean line in creepy silicone bodies. There’s even a pet tarantula lurking in a glass box, not a place to be trapped overnight….

After four series of Waking The Dead, Tara Fitzgerald is under the skin – pardon the pun – of her character and is fascinated by all things forensic. Looking considerably more glamorous than geeky Eve in black jeans and trendy crocheted cardigan coat, the actress couldn’t hide her excitement about the new six-parter.

Her co-star Keith Allen, brandishing a plate of cakes bought at a fund-raiser in aid of the Missouri tornado disaster and playing a ukelele-style guitar, was on excellent form. Given time off from filming to see his Princess Diana documentary Unlawful Killing screened at Cannes, the actor/writer/director was tight-lipped about that project but happy to chat about a wide variety of other topics, including his new band Pencil Case. He even entertained us on the miniature four-stringed guitar – known as a cavaquinho – which he recently learnt to play online during filming breaks. Is there no end to his talents?

You can read what both Tara Fitzgerald and Keith Allen had to say in TV Choice when The Body Farm is shown on BBC1 this autumn.

Mary Comerford