Responder star MyAnna Buring has revealed how she mastered the Scouse accent for the show.
The hit BBC programme follows frontline police officer Chris Carson, played by Martin Freeman, and portrays his struggles with PTSD, work pressure and marital strains.
Set in Liverpool, the six part series was written by ex-Merseyside police officer Tony Schumacher and stars Martin Freeman.
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Martin has been praised by viewers for his Scouse accent and said he nailed it with constant practice.
But MyAnna Buring, who plays Chris Carson's wife Kate in the programme revealed to the Mirror how she also mastered the accent.
She said she took four-hour taxi rides and spoke in a Scouse accent to the drivers for the entire time.
Speaking about her co-star Martin the 42-year-old said he was a “dreamboat” to work with – and “great at bringing the banter”.
MyAnna also praised the gritty drama for raising awareness on mental health and brings the question of mental health in key workers to the fore.
The actress said she is grateful for the show for that, as MyAnna experienced debilitating perinatal depression when she fell pregnant five years ago.
The mum of one said: “I don’t have a problem talking about this. Talking about mental health is how we normalise it.
“We are happy to talk about a gallstone being removed but we should be talking about our mental health as well.
“I suffered from perinatal depression when I was pregnant, for the full nine months.
“I was about to do a play and I got really severe morning sickness, which is actually what alerted me to the fact I was pregnant.
“That stayed with me every day, all day, for three months and of course I couldn’t work. I couldn’t even get out of bed most days.
“When the sickness lifted it then became clear that I was sinking into a deep, deep depression which I had never experienced before. I had had panic attacks before, which I knew how to manage, but not this.
“I went to get help really quickly. I went to get therapy. It was amazing and it saved my life – I mean it.”
MyAnna’s experience gave her an insight into the experiences of real-life policeman Tony Schumacher – inspiration for The Responder.
Tony was a police officer for Merseyside Police for 11 years before the strain took its toll. His first-hand know-ledge is portrayed vividly by TV cop Chris, played by Martin Freeman.
The five-part drama – which drew more than four million viewers for the opening episodes – follows frontline responder Chris as he battles PTSD and goes renegade.
From the solace of his patrol car, and over five consecutive nights, he takes on the streets of Liverpool – and some unsavoury types he seems to have become far too involved with.
MyAnna said she hopes the series will lay bare the need for more mental health support services within all frontline jobs.
She hopes it will encourage people to seek help when they need it – and for all of us to normalise mental health problems by talking openly about them.
MyAnna said: “What I found really strikingly important is that the drama looks at how first responders are affected by their work.
“It’s something we are all hyper aware of as we come out of so many lockdowns. Those frontline jobs weren’t easy before, and they certainly aren’t now.
“Tony’s connected us all because there isn’t a person in life who hasn’t experienced mental health issues or knows someone who hasn’t gone or is going through them. I think it shows how mental health doesn’t just affect you, but everyone around you. I felt that Tony really created a truthful representation of what that was.”
Referring to her own experiences, Swedish-born MyAnna added: “Just because you go through a mental health issue it doesn’t mean you are not capable, or able, to do things if you are given support. If you are given support you can achieve anything.
“It’s not that we need to suddenly write ourselves off if we are suffering.
“I had good days and bad days. On my bad days I couldn’t do anything but on my good days I could be really productive.
“And maybe it was because I was pregnant I was spurred on to take how I was feeling really seriously, because it wasn’t just about me but this baby who was about to come along. But it really helped and it definitely lifted once I gave birth.”
MyAnna and Martin, 50, have had stellar careers. He is famed for The Office, Sherlock and The Hobbit.
She starred in Ripper Street, The Twilight Saga, Netflix hit The Witcher – and as a conniving maid in Downton Abbey.
In The Responder, MyAnna said there is a complete disconnect between Chris and Kate. He is crossing lines at work and barely communicates at home, where she keeps some semblance of normality for the sake of their young daughter.
Chris is having counselling and it’s clear there’s no quick fix to lift him from his darkness. And as the series continues for three consecutive nights from tomorrow, things are set to get rockier for Chris on the home front too.
Kate, it emerges, has been keeping a secret. So do tensions between her and Chris boil over?
MyAnna added: "Oh yes. Everything that sinks must eventually rise back up to the surface.
“Everyone is keeping secrets. That is also at the core of the show. There’s not one character who is always being completely straight, but it captures the intentions behind why we are not entirely honest, which is what makes it entirely compelling.
“But you understand how pressured his marriage is because of his job.
“Most people who work within social care or police, or if you speak with nurses or doctors, will tell you how difficult it is to leave work at their door.
“Hopefully The Responder shines a light on the pressures that the police are under.
“We need to look after the people who work within it. You notice the counselling Chris has is done on the clock – and a couple of minutes here and there is better than nothing. But a lot of officers have spoken about having PTSD and not really receiving help they need.
“And it’s not just police – it’s people working in education, in healthcare. I think what Tony gets across is that we need to support people in those institutions because it’s not easy work.”
MyAnna was born in Sweden and grew up in the Middle East before moving to London to study. Her father Klas was an orthopaedic consultant and she saw how his work inevitably impacted on family life.
She said: “If a patient called, or the hospital called, that was it. Any holiday, any dinner was disrupted if you got a call – but you didn’t question it and that’s the same for all these jobs where you are doing a service for the community.”
