Exclusive: Bill Paterson takes inspiration from Taggart star for new cop role

Jun 29 2008 By Steve Hendry

SCOTS star Bill Paterson yesterday revealed his expert adviser for his new role as a detective - Taggart actor Alex Norton.

Bill is playing a cop in BBC1's hard-hitting drama Criminal Justice.

He plays no-nonsense detective Harry Box - and got some specialist advice from the small-screen's bestknown policeman.

Bill said: "Alex is a great friend and we talk often about playing police officers.

"He plays DCI Burke all the time, while I pop in and out of it.

"Harry Box is really a different version of Burke.

"He has a thing about getting out and catching bad boys, not doing paperwork.

"Alex and I could not be more different as people.

We're not disciplinarian types at all.

We're easy-going guys but play hard-line characters."

Criminal Justice was written by former criminal barrister Peter Moffat and runs for five nights from tomorrow.

It stars Ben Whishaw as 21-year-old Ben Coulter, who wakes up after a night out to find the girl he picked up lying stabbed to death in bed.

In what looks like an open and shut case, he is arrested and charged with rape and murder and put on trial.

It is a brutal, nightmarish tale and boasts a powerful cast including Pete Postlethwaite, who plays the only friendly face Ben meets on remand, old lag Hooch.

Bill and Pete got their parts after the film they were supposed to be shooting in Canada collapsed.

They were to play an old Scots variety act in The Bonny Boys, written by Absolutely star and former chat show host Jack Docherty. Bill said: "A day or two later Pete got an offer to play Hooch. His agent told the Criminal Justice people they were in luck because he had been due to do a film with me.

"They said, 'Bill Paterson? Is he available too?' So they got the two of us for the price of one.

"I always feel lucky to get any type of job never mind one as good as this."

Bill hopes The Bonny Boys will go ahead at some point.

He said: "It's been on and off for two years and it's a brilliant script about Scotland, the Scottish diaspora and the keeping up or exploiting of our heritage."

Bill, whose impressive CV includes Comfort And Joy and Sea Of Souls, is now filming an adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit for the BBC and has penned his first book.

Tales From The Back Green - about his childhood growing up in Glasgow in the 1950s - is out in August.

But for now, he can't wait to watch Criminal Justice in its finished state.

He said: "I'm looking forward to seeing it. I've seen the opening episode and it's very good - it's compelling stuff."

Criminal Justice begins on BBC1 tomorrow at 9pm.