I believe the key to success in this genre is a good narrative, driven by protagonists who really travel through what Hollywood script executives call a “story arc”.
So, in my ITV drama “The Secret”, the character of Colin Howell goes from pillar of the community to double murderer and, after two decades of getting away with the crime, decides to confront that past. This is what surely drew James Nesbitt to the part when I approached him, and his commitment helped get the project greenlit.
His wonderful performance, and others in the strong cast including Genevieve O’Reilly as Hazel Buchanan/Stewart and Jason Watkins as Pastor Hanford were, I think, inspired by the deep drama inherent in the material and the sources I had access to as writer, especially Deric Henderson’s fine book.