Trigger Point star Julian Ovenden on why the 'high-octane' thriller is unlike anything he's worked on before

Julian Ovenden's acting résumé reads like a catalogue of successful TV shows; from Downton Abbey to Bridgerton and The Crown.

But his latest role in the hit drama Trigger Point is something completely different.

The show has returned for Season 2, and once again takes fans inside the high-stakes work of a bomb disposal unit led by war veteran Lana Washington (Vicky McClure).

Stream every episode of Trigger Point now, only on Stan.

Ovenden joins as Commander John Francis, who is eager to impress in his new role.

"He's just been appointed to oversee this particular unit," Ovenden explains in an interview with 9Entertainment. "He's half politician, half policeman... he's a little bit brittle with a bit of an ego and he wants to be liked. He's a bit of a d--k."

Having played characters in period dramas such as Sir Henry Granville in Bridgerton and Charles Blake in Downton Abbey, Francis was a unique role he was delighted to take on.

"I kind of compare it to a pianist," he says. "It would be boring if you played the same concerto or sang the same song every time. I tried really hard – especially when I was young as an actor – to try and give myself variety and challenge.

"Working in the USA has given me that, and given me a range of experience that I wouldn't have had working here on period drama."

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Ovenden has starred on Broadway and West End productions, and is also a successful solo singer having appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras.

"Theatre, it stretches you," he adds, "We used to have this one thing in England called repertory theatre, where over the course of a week you could be working on four or five different plays, or musicals, or a thriller, a pantomime... that would give you an amazing range.

"One of the reasons why so many of our beloved actors in their seventies or eighties have lasted is because of that kind of education. That hasn't lasted, I'm afraid.

"It's quite difficult for young actors to get the opportunity to stretch and to get challenged and to take risks, because often what we're asked to do – especially on-screen – is to play a version of ourselves that is pretty close to what we are."

Ovenden says he's always tried to break that chain with his character choices to show some kind of range – "otherwise, what's the point?"

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"I don't want to just be myself. It's boring," he laughs. "It makes life interesting, it makes work interesting and keeps you young and enquiring and curious with the world. I'm privileged to do a job where that's built into the vocation."

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From producer Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty, Bodyguard), Trigger Point captivated audiences with it's high-octane drama, unexpected twists and exciting characters.

When asked what sets it apart from other thrillers, he adds: "It's about a job that we don't know a huge amount about – there haven't been many series about bomb disposal, and this kind of team of people.

"This is different. It's the combination of the technical stuff and the thriller aspect of it, but also the human stories and making them believable and naturalistic as possible."

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He said the show does an incredible job of combining "a high-octane plot" with "making us interested in and care for characters who are propelling the story alone".

"I think that's a pretty good recipe for a show, and it's quite difficult to get that balance right," he concludes.

Stream every episode of Trigger Point now, only on Stan.

Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.