Winter ITV Interview: Annabel Scholey on Playing DI Lauren Bell

Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Bristol Winter follows brilliant forensic pathologist Dr Ethan Winter as he works alongside DI Lauren Bell and DS Ellis Daldry. Together the team need to crack a series of twisted and compelling murder cases.  With his unflinching eye for detail and deep knowledge of the human body, Winter sees what others miss, revealing the secrets the dead leave behind.

But beneath the charm, wealth and cool exterior, Winter is a man tormented by the violent death ten years ago of someone close to him. The case was closed, a man put behind bars.  But when a recent suicide arrives in the lab bearing a chilling clue that echoes the earlier death, Winter is shaken to the core.

Gradually as his conviction grows that the wrong man is in prison and the killer must still be at large, Winter begins to investigate. Despite her doubts and instincts to keep her distance Bell is reluctantly drawn into a case that threatens to unravel everything the pair thought they knew.

ANNABEL SCHOLEY (plays DI LAUREN BELL)

What captured your imagination the most about David Allison and Mark Greig’s scripts that made you want to play DI Lauren Bell?

I thought the scripts were great, plus I’ve worked with this team before [on The Couple Next Door], who are like a family in Belgium. It’s such a collaborative place to work, and I was the most relaxed and creative I’ve ever been. At rehearsals, [lead writer] David was so open with his script, and we were able to discuss our thoughts about our characters. Bell is never off the screen, which was also attractive to me, so you get to fully explore that person. That was a huge draw. And I loved the dynamic between Winter and Bell. I’ve always wanted to work with Richard. We had a great chemistry test, so I knew that would be a great partnership. We were on the same wavelength, which you don’t always get, and I could relate to that core relationship. Plus, because he’s also an author, his eye on the script was fascinating. There’s also a lot of humour, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a detective drama.

How would you describe your character, DI Bell?

Her dad is her hero. He was in the Force and is the reason she became a police officer. Unfortunately, she lost him recently, and she wants to make him proud. She’s great at her job, but even though it’s 2026, she’s still a female doing what’s often considered to be a male job. She’s a detective, who’s risen up the ranks, and she has a fierceness about her. She can be quite harsh, and expects a lot from her colleagues, but she also gives a lot. She’s very focused and hard working, but she’s quite private. That was interesting for me, because I normally play characters that are open, vulnerable and emotional. She’s not emotional on the surface. She’s very steely, but there’s a softness inside. She has to trust you before you see that. The biggest challenge for me was not to play what’s going on inside, but to find her hard, outer shell and her work appearance. There’s a lot of power play. You see her at work, but then she also has an interesting story at home.

Where do we find her when the drama begins?

She’s left the Met – possibly because of living in her dad’s shadow – and moved her husband and two children to Bristol for a fresh start. They don’t know the area, the kids aren’t settling and they’re still living in boxes in this new house. She’s a bit disconnected from her husband because things are busy and they’re both working. There’s a lot of chat about her work-life balance and not really being there, which is very tedious but accurate for a working mother.  She’s throwing herself into work and trying her best to make a good first impression. She comes in hard with that. She’s no nonsense and rubs people up the wrong way. Sometimes people don’t appreciate her directness. She’s a slow burn.

What’s her relationship like with DS Ellis Daldry?

Bell is Daldry’s boss. She likes him immediately and enjoys his company. She respects his local knowledge and that he’s been in the Force for years. He’s very likable, and an asset to her, so he helps to get everyone else onside. He warms to her quite quickly, too, and can see that she is good at her job and works incredibly hard. There’s a mutual respect, and although they tease each other, they also help each other. Bell brings him into this century, because he doesn’t like computers or mobile phones. He’d be happy with his notepad. They’re a good team.

What’s DI Bell’s first impression of Dr Winter, and how does their relationship develop?

It’s a tricky start. They meet over the first body and within about 20 seconds, decide that they don’t like each other. She finds him arrogant, cocky and not to her taste at all. She takes him at face value, but after seeing him at work and realising how good he is at his job, she really respects his work ethic, and that surprises her. He’s like a pass-the-parcel with different layers. He keeps surprising her, and she very, very slowly melts. The whole series is a push and pull. They are clearly attracted to each other, and that doesn’t mean sexually – although who knows if that may develop. They’re like magnets: some days they’re drawn to each other, and some days they repel each other. Their mutual fascination leads to them trusting each other with their darkest, most painful secrets. I love how that relationship keeps twisting and turning. Almost as soon as they make progress, and you think that something’s going to happen – whether that’s friendship or sex – suddenly, they hate each other again. He holds a mirror up to her and calls her out, which not many dare to do, and she does the same for him. It’s a tightrope that we’ve had lots of fun with.

Can you talk about their first case together and what else is in store during the series?

What I love about this series is that the cases are quite theatrical and a little odd. Our first dead body is a frozen Jane Doe. There are so many twists and turns, and we end up in some exciting locations. There are some stunts for Richard, and I got to laugh at him while he had to do them. [laughs]. The case tests Winter and Bell to the max, and they disagree profoundly, because there aren’t really any leads. It’s always about the clues with the body, so when we go to the lab, she sees that he’s a details man, and he suddenly finds something so small that unravels the whole case. All the cases have a Sherlock vibe about them and are a bit out of the ordinary.

How would you describe their different approaches to solving cases?

They’re both obsessive about their jobs. He’s a rule breaker who doesn’t stay in his lane. She’s fearless and will confront anything. They’re dogged and won’t rest until they’ve got answers, so that’s where they come together.

Much of Winter’s work takes place in his lab. Are you squeamish?

I am, actually! I played a heart surgeon in The Couple Next Door and went to watch a heart surgery and didn’t faint [laughs]. Since then, I’ve realised I’m a bit more robust than I thought. On Winter, it was strange walking into the lab for the first time. The set is incredible, and there was a grim body on the slab. Jamie and I couldn’t look at it at first. But after the first five minutes, you become immune to it, which is quite worrying! We’d be stood next to some horrendous corpse with a body part missing, having a chat over it while someone took your lunch order! I think I got over my squeamishness quite quickly, which I’m very proud of.

Outside of work, Lauren has personal issues she’s dealing with. What can you tell us about that?

Her kids are feeling their mum’s absence, and she’s missed stuff. Also, she’s been married a long time. Lauren and her husband are a good parenting team, but you do get a sense that something is a little off. They’re not connected. Physically, when she makes a move, he’s not that bothered. Then something happens that makes her question if he’s where he said he was, and she wonders if he’s hiding something as things don’t make sense. Then when she starts looking a little closer, we realise that the cracks are quite a lot bigger than they first seem. I enjoyed all the emotional stuff that happens away from her job, because that’s my forté.

You and Jamie had a research call with a retired police officer. How beneficial was that and did you undertake any additional research for portraying DI Bell?

That call was so helpful, even down to finding out what she would be wearing as a female detective in a masculine environment. We also asked him what a typical day looks like, whether we clock in, if we’re on computers all the time and how cases get assigned. We had the script, but there’s also a lot of improvisation around the office. We’re in that space a lot, so it needed padding. We wanted to be as accurate as possible. There’s nothing worse than people watching and saying it doesn’t make any sense. I also have a friend in the Met, who I asked about the adrenaline of it, and how you compartmentalise if something is particularly harrowing. Do you take that home with your or is it left in the office? I thought that was very important and helped with scenes where Bell is between home and work. What state is she in? Is she shut down? Is she carrying it with her?

How did you balance your interpretation of DI Bell alongside Dries Vos and Kaat Beels’ vision of her?

Dries knew me from The Couple Next Door, but I think we were all on the same page. Bell has a toughness about her, she’s quite sarcastic, and we were trying to find a balance in rehearsals, because we don’t want her to be completely unlikable and frosty. It’s Winter’s story, but she keeps the tempo, because we’re with her all the time. I’m on screen a lot so we needed her to be relatable, and we found that through trial and error. One thing I did ask for was a stunt, because Richard was getting all of them. So, I did get to smash a car window with a spanner in episode two!  

There is a line in the script about Bell being a good poker player. Was that put in because of you?

Absolutely not [laughs]. I’m rubbish. But I am very competitive. Maybe I should take it up…

What sets Winter aside from other crime procedural dramas?

The characters and their relationships. Winter and Bell bring a different flavour. Their banter is quite dry, but it’s strong. And the show has a lot of pace. Dries has put so much movement in it. We shot it in Belgium with a European crew, so that brings a difference, which is exciting, combined with the odd, theatrical cases, which lifts it away from the usual genre.

How did you all get on as a cast?

Richard, Jamie and I were really glued together in Antwerp. Richard and I did Reformer Pilates and tried to outdo each other without making it obvious that we’re both super competitive. We got on so well. We were away from home and Jamie and I both have kids, so we really bonded over missing our children. And I loved being on the same wavelength as Richard. We work differently, but both have a dance background, and plot things out physically. There was a long scene in episode three which we did in one shot, and it was like a dance. We had the whole crew moving and boom operators leaping out of the doorway. It was so intense and adrenaline inducing, and I loved it.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of making Winter?

Filming different episodes in one day. We’d be doing an episode one interview scene and then switch to an episode three interview scene. I hadn’t done a police drama before, so I had to use a completely different part of my brain. A lot of it is police jargon, which was the hardest part of the job. If we’re lucky enough to do another series, I hope I’ll have retained some of that. We did the police station scenes at the end of the shoot and they were long days. I’d get back to my flat and have nothing left in my brain!

What do you hope audiences will take away after watching Winter?

I want people to look forward to tuning in. It’s what I want when I watch TV. I hope they love the characters, are confused about what their relationship is, and that they go back for more. I want them to be surprised by it, so they’ll think it’s a detective drama, and then realise it’s more than that. I like to be surprised when I watch TV, and so I’m hoping that this show will do that.

Winter starts Wednesday 30 Septemebr at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Share this post with someone you think would like it…