Actor Ben Aldridge, known to fans for his roles as Captain Charles James in Our Girl and for playing one of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's love interests in Fleabag, stars in ITV's new four-part drama, The Long Call.

The 35-year-old, whose other recent roles include starring as Batman's father Thomas Wayne in the series Pennyworth, plays Detective Inspector Matthew Venn in the show.

The drama sees DI Venn return to live in a small town in North Devon with his husband, Jonathan, played by Declan Bennett, but his return is not without its struggles as he navigates his relationship with his mother, Dorothy, played by actress Juliet Stevenson.

In 2020, Aldridge shared a message on Instagram saying he was a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. He wrote: "The journey to pride was a long one for me. I love the LGBTQ+ community and am incredibly proud and thankful to be a part of it. So much won. So much more to fight for. #pride".

Former Doctor Who actress Pearl Mackie also stars as DS Jen Rafferty in The Long Call, which is based on the Ann Cleeves novel of the same name.

Cleeves said of Aldridge's casting: "Ben was the actor who read the audio book even before the TV show was commissioned. I love his pared-back, restrained narration. He's worked on the novel as well as the script, and so he understands the character in depth. No author could wish for more."

Aldridge talks about getting involved in the drama.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU GOT INVOLVED IN THE LONG CALL?

"I had narrated the audiobook and heard afterwards that it was being commissioned by Silverprint Pictures as a TV series. I remember thinking at the time that, although Matthew and I were extremely different in personality and energy, there were many crossovers and experiential similarities.

"When they were originally casting, I was unavailable. Later, though, my commitments shifted and it became a possibility."

DURING A ZOOM CALL YOU REALISED CROSSOVERS BETWEEN YOURSELF AND THE CHARACTER. THE FIRST BEING THAT YOU AND MATTHEW, THE CHARACTER, IDENTIFY AS GAY. WAS IT LIBERATING TO PLAY THIS CHARACTER?

"Extremely. I've been wanting to play a character whose sexuality and emotional inner world is similar to my own and this felt like the right project to do so."

"A lot of what Matthew has experienced and continues to navigate in this piece is recent history for me. Acting is imaginative and creative and sometimes requires spending time in situations that you haven't necessarily experienced yourself or know about yet, that's what enables actors to play a range of parts beyond their own experience, that's the ideal anyhow."

"That said, I've been wanting to play a role that I knew from the inside out, a role that was close to me, that didn't involve total imagination but instead, drew on and expressed some of my own experiences."

DO YOU SHARE ANY OF MATTHEW'S EXPERIENCES WITH RELIGION GIVEN THE STORYLINE FEATURES IT IN THE FORM OF THE FICTIONAL RELIGIOUS GROUP BARUM BRETHEN?

"I was raised as an evangelical Christian, and before that, my parents and grandparents had themselves been devout members of the Brethren. Both my grandfathers were Elders in their respective churches. My parents moved away from that particular domination when they met, however the memories lived on in my wider family, as did some of the culture.

"I was able to use that knowledge and my own experience growing up in the evangelical movement in relation to Matthew."

WHAT DID YOU FIND IN SPEAKING TO YOUR PARENTS?

"Parts of it were extremely similar; there were so many corresponding conversations and coincidences. I was able to ask my parents about many of the specifics regarding the Brethren. They were both brilliant sources of information. We spent hours talking, dissecting, reminiscing, telling stories. It's quite a unique thing to be on the other side of religious devotion looking back at it."

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THIS AFFECTS MATTHEW?

"In Matthew's case, he had been ostracised by the Barum Brethren and his own mother, Dorothy, as they believe being gay is a sin and results in burning in the fires of hell. Matthew had to leave his family and everything he'd known behind as a young adult and is only returning now 20 years later.

"Though different, I have experienced my own version of that and so I understand how Matthew's specific religious background can contribute to, compound and amplify the feelings of shame surrounding his sexuality and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles this creates in his struggle on the journey to a prideful existence."

IF YOU HAVE TO DESCRIBE THE MOTHER-SON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATTHEW AND DOROTHY, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

"They are both stuck in a state of unexpressed turmoil - two people who cannot bring themselves to talk about the very issue that is destroying them; Matthew's homosexuality. The Barum Brethren don't express emotion, they are stoical.

"When these two characters are reunited in the story, they are worlds apart in ideology, beliefs and lifestyle. Matthew has spent 20 years living in the secular world, Dorothy is frozen in time, clinging to her religion.

"It is near impossible to reason with or change what someone faithfully believes to be true, to be fact, and Matthew knows that. Therefore, even though he perhaps longs for his mother's acceptance, it feels a futile desire.

"Talking is an essential part of healing both for parents and queer children, but here, even with the little communicating they are able to withstand, they manage to hurt each other further."

WHAT WAS THE ATMOSPHERE ON SET?

"Surprisingly, it was a very funny set. In front of camera, the drama itself was pretty dark and intense - there's a lot of pain in the piece, but on set, there was always laughter, a lot of levity."

The Long Call, STV, Monday, 9pm.