A major new Channel 4 police drama set in York has announced its release date.
And eager viewers won’t have long to wait – as it’s been revealed that the new series Patience will air in January.
The first episode of Patience will go out on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday 8 January, with the second episode following on Thursday 9 January at the same time.
The opening episodes are a two-parter, titled ‘Paper Mountain Girl’.
The six-part series follows Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis), a young autistic woman and civilian worker in the Police Records Office with a passion for crime solving. Her unique insight to investigations help DI Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser) and her team solve some puzzling and tricky crimes.
Patience is described as ‘more than just a crime drama’ – it is also a ‘celebration of neurodiversity’, with a number of neurodiverse leads played by a neurodiverse cast.
Ella, who plays Patience, is autistic herself. Talking about the show, she said: “We have all these really intriguing crimes and Agatha Christie-esque investigations and mysteries, but really it’s shown through the eyes of Patience so it’s really heartfelt.
“We see her anxieties, how her mind works and ultimately given a neurodivergent the point of view which is quite unique.”
The series was shot on location in York and Belgium. Although all the action is set in the city, some of the indoor scenes – including at a large ‘City Of York Police’ station – were filmed in Antwerp.
York residents who watched the show being filmed last summer can look forward to spotting all the different locations featured in the show.
The trailer shows clips of scenes shot on the Shambles, with aerial shots of York Minster, Clifford’s Tower and Lendal Bridge.
The show is made by Eagle Eye Drama, a London-based production company who have also brought us Suspect, Professor T and Hotel Portofino. It is adapted from the original hit French series Astrid and Raphaelle and is a co-production of JLA Productions.
It had a premiere in York in November at City Screen, where the stars and creatives of the show gathered to watch the first episode with an invited audience at a special launch party.
Members of the audience at the premiere with autism said the show’s depiction of people with the condition was the best they’d seen on screen.
Writer Matt Baker, who’s from Pocklington, said that York was perfect for the show with its theme of puzzles, because “the centre of York itself is a little bit like a puzzle, with Whip-ma-Whop-ma-Gate and all the snickets and tiny little cut-throughs – it’s like a maze”.