Doctor Foster star Suranne Jones has spoken about why she took the part in upcoming drama Save Me, which premieres tonight on Sky Atlantic.

The actress told Heat Magazine: “I had gone back to Doctor Foster, which was such a big show to return to, and I needed some time off. But then I read the script, and Lennie’s writing was so different to anything else I’ve done on TV.

“I was going from Doctor Foster to somewhere where I am part of a great ensemble with Lennie, Susan Lynch and Stephen Graham – they are people that I respect as actors, and to get to work with them was amazing.”

The talent behind and in front of the camera has made Save Me a highly anticipated show, with British star Lennie James now having the ability to reach a global audience through The Walking Dead fanbase.

“It was a very, very different show,” he told DigitalSpy. “The main character was a private eye at this point, and it was harder to subvert the thriller tropes if you have a private detective as your lead. It wasn’t something that ultimately I was interested in writing.

“Once I decided to make him useless, it became a much better script, and a much better story.”