One thing that Blue Lights has offered is a look at how cops start out and have to grow in their role. We’ve certainly seen that with Annie and Tommy during the first two seasons, and in Blue Lights season 3, they are more adult and have more responsibility.
It was something I chatted with Katherine Devlin and Nathan Braniff about, as we talked about the storylines to come during this third season. On top of that, we got into some of the emotional arcs that are showing signs of developing, as well as the positivity that this show offers when it comes to Belfast healing from the past.
Precinct TV: Let’s jump in first with how Annie and Tommy were baby cops in season 1, then toddler cops in season 2, and now they’re adults. What’s that like for you to show this realistic progression throughout the seasons?
Nathan Braniff: I feel sometimes that I’m the baby actor, then the toddler actor. Maybe I’m the adult actor now. It’s so funny how it’s lined up together. But it was always something really important. We never knew there was going to be more than one season, but you always hope for that. And with that, you’ve got to try and keep evolving these characters, or else people are just going to get bored. It’s always something that, as an actor, you need to have in the back of your head. How am I going to keep this character interesting? How will he keep evolving?
Katherine Devlin: For me, it’s also an absolute gift to be able to go back into a season and have this opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Make bold choices. When you’re seeing different facets of a character, you’re able to step into that zone and push yourself.
PTV: Annie has spent a long time trying to run from her past, but she can’t separate her cop life and her past anymore. Where are we finding her personally right now?
KD: Yeah, it’s a really good way of putting it. It’s 100% osmosis. It’s just filtering in every corner. Her personal life is creeping in. With season 3, it’s super overwhelming for her. She’s quite hyper-vigilant this season. She’s gone through immense emotions, and it’s something that she hasn’t dealt with and doesn’t know how to deal with. We’re talking about somebody who is a caregiver, and Annie is immensely close with her mum. There are the constant questions of is it all worth it and is it my fault? Have I contributed to this?
So, it’s really intense. And she’s just going through the motions, trying to just do the job and clock in and out without crying every day. It’s definitely a journey for her.
PTV: She is definitely going through the ringer. What’s that like for you as an actress to show?
KD: I’d be lying if I said it’s easy. It’s not easy, but if you’re going to do a realistic portrayal of grief and what that is, you have to dig deep and I was definitely challenged. At the same time, as an actor, it’s important to protect yourself and keep yourself mentally safe, ensuring that you know when it’s finished that you put it to the side and go home. Get some good food and watch trash TV. I love Below Deck, by the way.
PTV: Reality TV is the best when you just need to switch off! Nathan, for Tommy this season, he’s building this relationship with Aisling, but there’s a lot to navigate in that. What’s going through Tommy’s mind?
NB: It’s really hard for him. This might come as a shock, but this is probably Tommy’s first girlfriend. I don’t want to give spoilers, but this is a real test in this third season for Aisling and Tommy’s relationship. They’re living together, and they’re obviously working together. It’s just so interesting to watch what this job and the effects it has on a relationship.
Most cases, it’s bad enough to have one person involved in the police, but if you have both partners involved, then it’s a risk for them. There’s a lot of pressure on both of them and their relationship, and it’s interesting to see how they cope with it.
PTV: It’s not even like Tommy is getting an easy ride. He’s still grieving the loss of his mentor, but it’s done a little more subtly this season. What was that like for you to portray?
NB: Jerry’s legacy still very much lives on in Tommy’s head. It pops up in his mind all the time, but as an actor, I didn’t really want to linger too much. The nature of the job is that you experience traumatic things quite frequently, and for it to be believable for Tommy to stay in this job, he has to have a stiff upper lip and park all those emotions and not let them come out, but they’re still bubbling in there. He’s dealing with it, and he’s sort of gone through it.
In this season, he’s trying to move on from it. He’s just trying to do his job. I think, because loss is so heavily featured throughout all three seasons, it almost becomes a character within itself. Within our culture, losses are everywhere. We celebrate life. You take the Irish wakes, for example, it’s a great crack. For hundreds of years, it’s how we cope with loss. There’s dark humor, and it’s a celebration of life, and I think that’s very much translated within Blue Lights.
PTV: Then you’ve got Belfast as its own character within the story. There’s so much history there, and it’s not even history. It’s still very present, and we see that. What’s it like for the two of you to show this and moving forward?
KD: People are still living with that, and in terms of the PSNI, it’s not a clean-cut history by any means. The PSNI was formed in 2001 — it was initially the RUC — and it was predominantly Protestant, and Catholics were discriminated against. Those opinions still linger to this day, so there’s a real heart to Blue Lights, and it’s not a form of propaganda by any means. It’s about the characters. It’s about the people behind the uniform.
NB: This is a celebration of how far Belfast has come. It's no secret, Belfast has had hard moments in recent history, but right now, Belfast is changing. And it’s a great time to be part of this wave — Derry Girls is another great example — we’re born out of this creative boom in Northern Ireland, and in Belfast. There was a little bit of worry when we were first doing it, such as how people were going to react to it, but from my own personal experience, everybody is just taking this show under their wing a little bit from every side of the community, and it’s a great thing to be a part of.
KD: It’s so true. It does feel like a celebration. Yes, knowing the history and doing the research and understanding it, and getting to grips with it, but at the same time, it’s just knowing that we’re more than just The Troubles.
PTV: I love that we see a genuine friendship between Annie as a Catholic and Tommy as a Protestant. They’re working together, living together, it’s just a wonderful sign of what can be.
KD: It’s like us in real life.
NB: It is like us in real life, and just everybody in Northern Ireland. It’s rapidly changing, and it’s becoming a really inclusive and fantastic community to be a part of. I’m excited to see what Northern Ireland comes up with in the next 10 to 15 years.
Blue Lights season 3 airs on Thursdays on BritBox.
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