The Diplomat is not your usual crime drama.

In the sunny city of Barcelona, Laura Simmonds - played by Sophie Rundle - works as the British Consul, helping British nationals who find themselves in trouble while in the Catalan city, along with her colleague and friend Alba Ortiz. The job mixes the roles of lawyer, counsellor and police officer, diplomatically bridging the gap between local police and distressed Britons in their hour of need.

When young British barman Jay Sutherland dies in the first episode of the gripping new drama, it becomes apparent that all might not be as it seems - and his father Colin, played by Danny Sapani, travels to Spain to voice his concerns that something more sinister happened to his son than simply a tragic accident.

Laura is plunged into a gritty investigation as unexpected evidence emerges and a murder inquiry begins, uncovering possible links to organised crime, and fact-burying conspiracies that reach the heart of the British security services.

Gentleman Jack and Peaky Blinders star Rundle, 34, tells us more about what we've got to look forward to.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER, LAURA.

I play Laura Simmonds, who is the British Consul. So essentially, if you're a British national in Barcelona and you get into a spot of trouble, she is your point of contact, and she's your sort of liaison with the Spanish justice system and the Spanish authorities.

THE DIPLOMAT IS SUCH AN INTERESTING TAKE ON A CRIME DRAMA - WHAT DO YOU THINK IS COMPELLING ABOUT IT BEING SET IN A CONSULATE?

It allows you to have this sort of procedural element with new characters coming in in a very organic way. We're not shoehorning in storylines for the sake of the episode, you know, the nature of their job means that they have this constant rota of new characters coming into their scenarios.

But because they're not police, because this isn't a normal sort of cop show, it allows them to be more kind of emotionally engaged, I think. So they kind of get involved with these characters a lot more.

I just think it's a really, genuinely interesting job... you would meet lots of interesting people, it's actually a very natural setting for a TV show, it's why it's a smart choice to set it there.

And then against the backdrop of Barcelona, which is such a huge appeal of the show, I think. It's such a pleasing thing to go and just spend time in this sunny city and explore Barcelona as much as you're exploring the characters.

It feels lighter and fresher. And a bit more fun, I think.

WHAT CAN YOU TEASE US ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SERIES?

You've got an amazing central storyline running through the whole show of Colin Sutherland (Danny Sapani) trying to figure out what happened to his son. And he's amazing in it.

So that's the real heart of it, and that mystery is what propels all the characters forward, and then you meet these other characters along the way.

You don't have to sit and really concentrate, you can just freely enjoy being in the company of the show - I think people are hungry for that right now. I think it's a nice, charming, easy watch.

THERE IS A LOT OF LEVITY IN THE SCRIPT, DESPITE THE SERIOUS PLOTLINE RUNNING THROUGH IT - HOW DID YOU FIND THIS?

It's such a relief, isn't it? It's a weird part of the job, that as an actor when you go into work that day, if you're playing a really heavy scene... An actor once described it to me as like having to stick your head in the bin!

Like you come into work and you're sitting in the makeup chair and you're chatting about something and you're like: right, now I've gotten to this storyline where it's really heavy and intense.

I think this script is really playful. It's such a relief to do something contemporary and modern and very close to home... So with that comes a naturalism that's very appealing to watch and very enjoyable to do.

I was just relieved to not be in a corset! I spend most of my career in a corset with rollers in my hair!

IN THE PAST, THIS KIND OF SERIES MIGHT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT A MALE CHARACTER IN LAURA'S POSITION. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GREAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE DIPLOMAT HAS A FEMALE PROTAGONIST?

I think that is notable. And I think what's crucial is her competence.

She isn't there because of some incredible privilege or nepotism, she isn't there because there's something strange about her, she's just a woman who's very smart, who's risen up the ranks quite quickly, and is very good at her job. I think that is very refreshing.

Also, I think it's her relationship with Alba, played by Serena (Manteghi), who is amazing in this. She's so brilliant. And her character, Alba, is so fun.

The two of them have this lovely dynamic on screen. They're funny with each other. We've talked a lot about how rare it is to see two female characters just being funny, outside of a comedy setting.

They're funny, they're clever, they're good at their jobs, and they are the people out there doing these jobs. So I think it's really important and really nice to see. And we're normalising that, and that's really exciting.

The Diplomat, Tuesday, on Alibi, and will also be available as a boxset on NOW, Sky and Virgin