Tensions are high on the streets and amongst the police departments as a young teenager is knifed to death on the streets of London in the opening scenes of series three of ITV’s gripping crime thriller The Tower.
The new series - Gallowstree Lane - is based on former Met Police officer Kate London’s third novel, and is adapted by screenwriter Patrick Harbinson (Homeland, Fearless, 24).
Dublin actor Emmett J. Scanlan returns as shady but well-meaning cop DI Kieran Shaw, who is two years into Operation Perseus, a covert operation to bring down gang leader Shakiel Oliver.
In the Zoom press conference Scanlan was quick to defend his character.
“You are going to see more of Kieran and maybe come to understand him a little bit better in this series and maybe even respect him to a certain degree. You see how obsessed he is with taking down the kingpin himself, despite the collateral damage along the way,” he says.
“But there’s good in him. Steve and Lizzy trust him, they know they can rely on him. He’s great at his job and they know he will protect them at all costs.”
Series two of The Tower Series ended with the bombshell that his colleague PC Lizzie Adama (Tahirah Sharif) was pregnant, following their affair.
Their son is now born, yet Shaw is still living at home with his wife, leaving Adama to juggle work and motherhood.
Viewers will see Adama suffer an inner conflict between wanting to do what is morally correct with having to conceal the truth as part of her new job.
“What we see in the first two series is that Lizzie throws herself into any situation head first, most of the time, with great intention, but not a load of thought,” she says.
“This is very different because she is a mother, and emotionally quite attached to Lamar’s character and what’s going on at the moment, and Kieran and everything that she’s dealt with. She definitely finds herself between a rock and a hard place for quite a long time throughout the series,” says Sharif, who was Bafta-nominated for her role in series one of The Tower.
And is there still chemistry between them?
“He loves Lizzie’s strength, her gentleness, her stubbornness, her goodness and her spirit,” answers Scanlan diplomatically.
As the stakes are raised, his character also grows ever closer to his former sparring partner DC Steve Bradshaw.
She sees the vulnerability and the lack of solution she can offer. The helplessness I think is what really drives her mad - she’s trying so hard, but she just hits brick wall after brick wall of silence, denial, tension, violence or risk.
— Gemma Whelan
Speaking from Los Angeles, actor Jimmy Akingbola, who plays Bradshaw, says the series has been “amazing” to shoot.
Going undercover to infiltrate Shakiel’s empire, he has become a trusted gang lead amongst the young people on the streets he is trying to protect.
“I love dropping the suit and playing a character that has a very pivotal role in the main story,” he enthuses.
“Also, seeing his relationship with Kieran grow - seeing that brotherhood, that openness and that vulnerability comes together in an important and tricky time.”
This opinion is echoed by Scanlan, who was most recently seen in the Netflix series Fool Me Once alongside Michelle Keegan.
“Kieran appreciates Steve as a cop, he sees him as someone who isn’t afraid to make the big calls and the sacrifices that come with that regardless of the consequences. He wants to take down the bad guy, and they share that quality. With Steve there is mutual respect and admiration,” he says.
One of the stars of the new series is Lamar Waves, who plays 15-year-old Ryan Kennedy, best friend of the murdered schoolboy who witnessed the fatal attack.
“Lamar acted me off the screen. He’s going to be winning awards for many, many years. That was a joy, seeing Lamar just take control of those really emotional scenes,” says Akingbola, full of praise for the young actor.
“It’s an intense journey for Ryan, but I feel as though he just taking time to sort of understand where he needs to go,” says Waves about his character.
Knife violence is a very serious and topical subject matter and Waves believes that The Tower portrays it honestly and sincerely.
“You don’t always get to see maybe the journey of why people do things, or how something might affect someone.
“With Ryan, you see how someone who’s in a very bad environment with maybe not the best role models around him, deals with it in a very real way. And you have a heartfelt feeling towards what’s going on and the people involved.”
Gemma Whelan is on the case as DS Sarah Collins, but admits her moral compass is “shaken a bit in this season”, because for the first time she can’t solve the wider problem of knife crime as she faces not only resistance from the black community around her but from within the police.
Her character is affected by the horrendous knife crime that kicks off this series as her own sister passed away at a similar age.
“She sees the vulnerability and the lack of solution she can offer. The helplessness I think is what really drives her mad - she’s trying so hard, but she just hits brick wall after brick wall of silence, denial, tension, violence or risk.”
One of her favourite scenes involves an impromptu visit by colleague DI Shaw to her home.
“Emmett’s an energy builder – no acting required for his burst. It’s very heated. They’re both very protective of themselves and their ways and the people in their private lives and how it bleeds into work.”
“Was it enjoyable to intimidate people? I definitely enjoyed sparring and dancing with Gemma. My only regret is that I didn’t get more,” laughs Scanlan, as he is joined on camera by his two young children, one of whom he reports is sprinkling custard powder over their floor.
The Tower fans will also receive some more answers to the first case in series one and the fatal fall from the top of the tower block.
Although only three books of The Tower have been written, writer and executive producer Patrick Harbinson teases that he has already begun writing the first episode of series four.
“There’s more for Lamar. Sarah and Lizzie have a long, long way to go. You see what’s happening in England with crime. There are many stories to tell.”
