TV drama showcases city's 'extraordinary history'

A TV crime drama set in York will showcase the city's "extraordinary history" to an international audience, its screenwriter hopes.

Patience, which began on Channel 4 on Wednesday, was penned by Matt Baker, who is from nearby Pocklington.

The drama follows police archivist Patience Evans, a young autistic woman with an "instinctive eye for crime scenes", whose talents are spotted by Det Insp Bea Metcalf.

Baker said viewers were not used to seeing thrillers set in York, but its "extraordinary living heritage" made it perfect for drawing in a global audience.

The six-part show - adapted from a French drama - was also filmed in Antwerp in Belgium.

Baker said when York was suggested as the location, he "grabbed it with both hands".

"You've got this incredible iconic skyline, the minster, Clifford's Tower and the Shambles - all this extraordinary living heritage and living history."

The writer said because York was "somewhat puzzle and maze-like", it was the perfect choice for the show.

He said: "At the heart of the crime drama are these very knotty and complex murders but beyond that, there is this theme of puzzle-solving.

"The theme of puzzles and puzzle-solving when we came to consider York as a location just seemed very apt.

"It's an incredible medieval city with so many snickets and cut-throughs.

"The city has this physical representation of the themes portrayed through the episodes."

Ella Maisy Purvis, who plays Patience, described York as "magical".

She said: "Walking through the Shambles at around 3 or 4 o'clock felt like you were in some sort of Victorian film.

"I couldn't get over how much the whole place felt like a movie set, yet this was just where people actually lived."

Neurodivergent characters in the show are played by neurodiverse actors.

Purvis, who was diagnosed with autism in her late teens, said: "Why wouldn't you want the person with the most experience to play a role that is so shaped by the way in which they experience the world?

"Neurodivergent people experience the world in such a unique way, and no two are the same.

"The kind of perspective that comes from lived experiences can't be learnt, and so when you're casting for roles which have neurodiversity as part of their character it's really important that those voices are being heard."

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