'Best show to come out of Liverpool' - We meet the cast of The Responder as the hit BBC drama returns

As the second series of The Responder makes its way onto our screens, we've been to FACT on Wood Street for a celebratory screening.

The gritty series was written by former Merseyside Police officer Tony Schumacher, who told LiverpoolWorld: "It was Jimmy McGovern who pointed to me and said you should write your life. It was right in front of me, and I hadn’t really recognised it. I was working on different projects and stuff and suddenly it was like the minute he said it, it made perfect sense."

The show's first series, which was filmed around Liverpool, was nominated for six BAFTA awards and saw 9.6m viewers tune in to its first episode. The second series sees PC Chris Carson, played by Martin Freeman, attempt to rebuild his life.

Local actor, Philip McGuinness, said featuring in two series of The Responder feels like ‘you’ve won the lottery’. He said: “This isn’t just any show, in my opinion it’s the best show to come out of Liverpool and I think it’s one of the best shows on the BBC.”

The series also stars Bernard Hill, who has since sadly passed away over the weekend. At the event in FACT on Tuesday night, Tony Schumacher read out a text from the Boys from the Blackstuff star who plays the father of Martin Freeman's character in the show. It read, "Hope you are going to the screening. I'm going, and I will see you there."

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