Me and Myra

WHITBY-born Joanne Froggatt felt a huge responsibility hanging over her latest TV role in an ITV1 drama centred around the Moors Murders. The actress plays Maureen Smith, Myra Hindley's sister, in the two-part See No Evil: The Moors Murders, which has been made in consultation with families of the victims.

Hindley's relationship with Maureen lies at the heart of the drama about the murders, which first came to light in 1965 and have provoked controversy and debate ever since. This isn't the first real person played by Froggatt, who made her name as Zoe Tattersall in Coronation Street in the late 1990s.

She was Bafta-nominated as best actress for her performance in Danielle Cable: Eyewitness, the story of a girl whose fiance was stabbed in a road rage incident.

Then drama's executive producer Jeff Pope approached her about playing Smith. "He felt I was right for the role. I was honoured to be asked and interested from the very start. The Danielle Cable film was well received, and I found it fascinating playing a real character, so I was keen to try it again, " says Froggatt.

"When I read the script, I thought it was a moving portrayal of the story, because it's mainly told from Maureen's point of view. She was very close to her sister Myra and they had a normal, loving relationship. Maureen never had an idea about what Myra was doing with Brady, and that helps show how much of a shock it was to everyone at the time, when the truth came out.

"Even those closest to Myra never suspected anything. It's also very powerful because Maureen suffered so much because of what her sister did, but she was completely innocent. I thought it was important to tell her story because she never had the chance to do it herself."

With that came "massive responsibility" as some of those involved are still alive. "There's also the fact that this is still such a controversial subject for the families of the children and for a whole generation of people in the Manchester area. It's like a big black cloud that has engulfed everyone who was involved. The huge responsibility is to do a good job, " she says.

Maureen Smith died in her early thirties from a brain haemorrhage.

Froggatt wonders if it might have resulted from the stress of the situation. "She gave evidence against Myra when she was eight months pregnant and gave birth immediately afterwards, " she says.

"Her husband Dave Smith ended up in prison in 1969 and by that time she had three sons which she had to raise on her own. All the time, she faced hostility and hatred from people around her, because of what her sister had done.

"Even her own mother disowned her for giving evidence against Myra. She had no-one to turn to and suffered a nervous breakdown, as everything became too much.

The boys were then taken into care.

"The story returns to Maureen afterwards when she's trying to get her life back on track, but is still a broken woman. Her life was destroyed by Myra."

Froggatt believes that a dramatisation of a serious crime can give audiences an understanding that other accounts, in newspapers and books, can't provide. She sees it as a more accessible way to learn about something and a way of reaching an audience that might not have read about it.

"Many younger people will have heard about the Moors murders, but may not know too much about them. No-one I've spoken to knows anything about Maureen, so it's worthwhile approaching the story from a different angle. The audience isn't expected to understand what happened from Myra and Ian's point of view. This is from Maureen and Dave's perspective."

In the ITV drama, Myra Hindley is played by Shameless and Dinnerladies actress Maxine Peake. Naturally enough, she was wary of tackling such a conversial role.

"It's always a risk with projects of this nature, " she says. "On hearing the victim's families were behind the show, I decided to go ahead and do the best job I could. As an actor, I don't believe you have to sympathise with the people you're portraying. It's very difficult to understand the mind of a character like Myra Hindley, but this is what makes this such a challenging role."

Her research included watching news footage from the time and documentaries. She'd also read Emlyn Williams' book Beyond Belief, about the murders, before the audition. Then she looked into the period as she felt a knowledge of the music and youth culture of the time was invaluable.

Like Froggatt, she felt a moral responsibility to get the character right, to be as truthful as possible to do the events justice. "You feel a responsibility to the families of the victims that the piece will be a fitting memorial to their loved ones, " she says.

Peake sees approaching the story through the sisters' close relationship as a good one. "Myra and Maureen were extremely close as sisters and with their mother Neillie. It shows how incomprehensible Myra's actions were. She had the capacity to make choices, the capacity for love and affection, but chose to get involved with Ian Brady and his horrific crimes.

Filming on the moors was difficult. "It was very atmospheric, and it was bitterly cold when we were there, " she recalls. "The moors are so desolate, it gives them a timeless feel. We were in costume, but there were no signs of the modern world apart from the odd car passing in the distance. It was quite unnerving being up there."

See No Evil: The Moors Murders is on ITV on Sunday at 9.30pm and Monday at 9pm