ITV Encore’s new female-led crime thriller has begun filming in Bolton and the North West.

Described as “a dark and compelling thriller with a tortured female detective at its heart”, Bancroft will “explore what happens when heinous crimes, long buried, come back to haunt us.”

The four-part series is created and written by Kate Brooke (Mr Selfridge, Ice Cream Girls) and produced by Phil Collinson (Doctor Who).

Broadchurch actress Sarah Parish will star as respected police officer DCI Elizabeth Bancroft, “a woman with dark secrets in her past.”

The cast also includes Faye Marsay (Game of Thrones), Linus Roache (Vikings), Amara Karan (The Night Of), Adrian Edmondson (War and Peace), Art Malik (Indian Summers), Kenneth Cranham (Rome), Adam Long (Happy Valley), Lee Boardman (The Five) and Steve Evets (Looking for Eric).

The official synopsis reads: “Ruthless and courageous, Bancroft is a brilliant copper. She has given her life to the police force. Consequently, she’s trusted and adored by her colleagues and promotion to Detective Chief Superintendent looks assured. Bancroft is running an operation to bring down the pernicious and vicious Kamara gang. She adopts dubious methods, but the most violent brother, Athif, rules the local town with an iron fist, so it’s hard not to applaud her actions.

Are you looking forward to Bancroft? Let us know below…