Patience: Exciting new Channel 4 crime drama filmed across a medieval city in Yorkshire and stars Gentleman Jack actor Tom Lewis from Leeds

Patience is set to reveal the backdrop of iconic locations in the city of York, and centres around heroine Patience Evans, an autistic woman who works in a clerical role filing police records.

The six-part series will feature crimes in memorable locations as Patience’s unique perspective allows her to connect the dots through clues in a way others simply cannot.

The main cast for the series - which casts neurodivergent actors in key roles - is Ella Maisy Purvis (Patience), Laura Fraser (Bea), Tom Lewis, from Leeds (Elliot Scott), Maxwell Whitelock (Alfie Metcalf-Haynes), Ali Ariaie (Will), Nathan Welsh (Jake) and Ava-Grace Cook (young Patience at 11 years old).

Her life is structured, ordered and her routine never changes, but her life is about to change dramatically as she draws the attention of the brilliant and instinctive Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf.

Patience has a special interest in solving puzzles and a secret interest and talent for criminology as she can read a case file or a crime scene and make connections that others can’t.

Detective Bea recognises Patience’s unique insight and takes her under her wing. She wants her to work with her team on the frontline of policing. As they start to become more closely involved professionally, however, it becomes clear that they may have a more profound and lasting impact on each other’s lives.

Across the series, Patience, Bea and her partner Jake, tackle intriguing cases involving murder, terrorism and disappearing bodies all against the backdrop of the spectacular medieval city of York. The show was filmed at many iconic locations across the city including York Minster, The Shambles, the City Walls, Clifford’s Tower, the Castle Museum, the river, the station and the Grand Hotel.

The lead writer of the series Matt Baker, who was born in Pocklington, spoke to The Yorkshire Post about the upcoming series.

“The series is an adaptation of a French show called Astrid and Raphaelle. It's a very popular show,” Mr Baker said.

“This is a subject where there's always a lot of debate about whether actors, writers and people involved in telling stories need to have lived experience of a character's trait in order to be able to portray them.

“Personally, I’m somebody who believes that acting is acting and it's an active imagination, so there's nothing wrong with performers trying to put themselves into other people's shoes as part of their craft.

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“But in this instance I think we felt that the portrayal of autism in particular is still quite a rare thing on television. We wanted to make sure that all the characters that are neurodivergent in the show should be performed by actors who had [lived experiences].”

There aren’t only neurodivergent actors in the series, as the production company Eagle Eye included writers with lived experiences.

“As well as all the neurodivergent parts in the series being played by neurodivergent actors, the production company Eagle Eye Drama went to great lengths to include neurodivergent perspectives in the writing team as well,” Mr Baker said.

“I was the lead writer on the series but it was developed and written in partnership with three other writers - Stephen Brady, Sarah Freethy and Daniella De Vinter - all of whom have close first hand experience of living with autism, either having been diagnosed themselves or having had a close relative be diagnosed.”

Mr Baker’s strong connection to the city was the main reason he chose York as a filming location.

“I’m from Pocklington. I know York very well. It's got a very special place in my heart. I've got very many happy memories of [the city],” he said.

He also picked the city for creative and commercial reasons.

“It was a creative [decision]; the story of Patience revolves a little bit around this idea of puzzles and puzzle solving,” he said.

“A lot of autistic people have what you call a special interest and Patience’s special interest is puzzles and puzzle solving. 

“This is something she inherited from her father, who was a policeman and who used her interest in criminology detective fiction to bring her out of her shell as a young girl.

“There's something about York itself, which is a little bit like a maze; it's got all these old pathways, snickets, cut throughs and small passageways.”

York is underrepresented on screen, Mr Baker said.

“I think York is probably one of the country's biggest tourist attractions.

“It’s certainly in the top five of the most visited places in the country for foreign tourists. But it hasn't been used as a location in the world of film or television very often.

“It has an iconic quality which is probably underrepresented on screen.”