Vicky mcclure and morven christie stars in bbc's the replacement

You know how the old quip goes: just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. But wait a minute – what if they really are out to get you? That’s the premise behind

The Replacement, a three-part psychological thriller starring Vicky McClure and Morven Christie. Written and directed by Joe Ahearne, the story centres on an ordinary-looking maternity cover

that turns into a morass of angst, lies – and worse. Ellen (Morven) is a high-flying architect at a successful Glasgow practice. As the series opens, she’s just scored the firm a fat new

contract to build a library, and the career elevator beckons. Until she discovers that she’s pregnant. As Ellen downplays the news and insists she’ll be back in no time, up pops the woman

who will temporarily replace her: Paula (Vicky), a mum-of-one who is just resuming full-time work after 10 years of part-timing to look after her daughter. Sharp, charming and fiercely

capable, Paula looks like the perfect job cover. But then the jealousy kicks in and Ellen becomes increasingly riled by Paula’s Little Miss Sunshine act. Suddenly the glittering career path

looks threatened. “One of the things about architecture is that it’s seven years of training – so they have to put years in, earning no money, and they’re kind of wedded to it,” explains

Grantchester star Morven. “Ellen has defined herself almost entirely by her career for a long time. She’s finally hit a point where she might say, ‘OK, I’m there. I don’t have to fight

anymore. I can just do the job.’ And then it’s whipped away by the fact that she’s now pregnant. She tries to make light of it, but the paranoia builds.” The tension rises when Paula muscles

in on Ellen’s friends, and seems to keep drawing attention to her impending motherhood. So is she being genuine? Or is the newcomer subtly undermining the staffer to influence the big

bosses (Neve McIntosh and Dougray Scott)? Everything hinges on whether we think Ellen is being paranoid about Paula, says Vicky, or whether she might actually be onto something. “I think the

audience is going to be stretched,” says Line Of Duty star Vicky. “They’ll go, ‘I’m on Paula’s side! No, I’m on Ellen’s…’ They’re going to be pulled around a bit. The more you learn about

the characters, the more you’re confused as to who you’re backing.” Without giving too much away, those twists and turns are ratcheted up by some major revelations as the story unfolds. “It

has an edge-of-your-seat, Hand That Rocks The Cradle feeling,” Vicky hints. So how did it feel to put all that passive-aggression on film? “It was so much fun, because it’s all so

recognisable,” Morven smiles. “All that under-the-surface bubbling – I thrive on that,” Vicky nods. “I loved doing the faces that you can’t pull in real life,” she adds. TENSE TRAILER FOR

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER THE REPLACEMENT The show also taps into the sorts of self-doubts that swirl around all careers. Have they experienced that in the acting world? “Imposter syndrome?

Yeah, always,” says Morven. “I left school when I was 16 and went to drama school when I was 22. After I came out I did quite a lot of classical theatre, and that’s a really weird world.

There’s a big class thing around the industry as well, and I’ve definitely felt that.” When it comes down to it, she says,  The Replacement connects with the kinds of internalised fears that

afflict all of us. “There was a press release that went out saying this piece ‘examines the darker side of working women.’ But it’s sort of about more than that. It’s about human beings.”

_THE REPLACEMENT,TUESDAY, 9PM, BBC1_