IT’S a well-known sign you are getting old when policemen start to look younger. Take Scott & Bailey, for example, where fast-tracked officer – now sergeant – Rob Waddington is played by Danny Miller, formerly Emmerdale’s Aaron.

Not every experienced copper would take kindly to been given orders by a fresh-faced newcomer, but up until now DC Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp) seems to have rather enjoyed it, even if it’s meant she’s had to step down from her role as acting sergeant.

“High-flyers like Rob need incredibly experienced people like Janet, who know exactly how to do the job. So what starts to emerge is this very sweet relationship between the two of them. You suddenly see a different side to Janet, a more lighthearted side,” says Sharp.

Sadly, that might change this week as Gill accuses her of sending a cheeky email to new recruit Rob. Has she been flirting with him in an unprofessional manner, or just telling him that she loved him in Emmerdale?

That’s not the only relationship that’s changing for Janet. She and colleague Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones) are now not just friends and colleagues, but housemates as well, and it’s not an ideal situation.

“Rachel and Janet work very well together, but as people they’re very different.

Their situations and the way that they deal with their personal lives are very different,” says Sharp. “So it’s no surprise that when their personal lives become as embroiled as they do, that actually that’s going to cause a problem.

“Rachel probably reminds Janet of herself when she was younger and she thinks Rachel is potentially a brilliant cop. So it’s disappointing for her that Rachel seems to make bad judgement calls every now and again.”

She adds that Janet is asking herself some pretty serious questions about her relationship with Rachel and whether she actually likes the woman. “It’s about those two characters both being vulnerable and clashing with each other when neither one of them is strong enough to support the other one,” says Sharp. As this episode opens, it’s Janet’s mother Dorothy who has the biggest problem with Rachel. She doesn’t think she’s a suitable role model for her granddaughter, Taisie.