Vicky McClure is returning to the front line as bomb disposal expert Lana Washington in the fourth series of ITV thriller Trigger Point — and writer Chris Brandon has issued an ominous warning about what lies ahead: “No one is safe.”
The six-part series promises to push the tension even further as Afghan veteran Lana once again faces the dangerous task of protecting London from explosive threats.
Brandon says the show’s trademark cliffhangers and unexpected turns will remain central to the new episodes, while McClure — who also serves as an executive producer — is focused on making the action as impactful as possible.
When it comes to worrying about the production budget, however, she is happy to leave the calculations to somebody else.
“I was never good at maths at school, so I leave that to the actual grown-ups,” McClure joked.
‘No One’s Safe’
Brandon has made it clear that viewers shouldn’t become too comfortable about the fate of any character.
“I’m just in my pyjamas, planting bombs!” he joked while discussing the new series.
“This show thrives on cliffhangers and surprises, and there’s plenty more to come. No one’s safe . . . no one.”
For Brandon, the challenge is to continually increase the pressure while keeping audiences uncertain about where the story will go next.
“Every episode is about tightening the screw until it has to break at some point,” he said. “It’s great fun.”
Lana Faces a Bomb Inside a Moving Lorry
Series four begins with Lana attending therapy before she is quickly pulled into another extraordinary crisis.
Her mission involves attempting to defuse a bomb inside a moving lorry headed toward the Bank of England.
McClure described filming the sequence as a particularly unusual experience because the finished scene was assembled from footage captured in different environments.
“It was such a bonkers scenario because one minute we were in the tunnel, then we were in the studio, and it was kind of pieced together,” she explained.
Watching the completed sequence even left McClure becoming impatient with her own character’s careful movements.
“When I first watched it, I was, like, ‘Come on, just open things’,” she recalled.
But that deliberate pace is essential to portraying bomb disposal work.
“You can’t just be frantic — there’s the method of it all,” she said.
And viewers shouldn’t assume the lorry sequence represents the peak of the action.
“That’s a small version of what’s to come,” McClure teased. “Chris and the team have really gone for it.”
McClure Improvised Lana’s Therapy Scene
While the show’s highly technical bomb-disposal sequences require strict attention to professional guidance, McClure found more freedom while filming Lana’s therapy session.
The actress said she improvised parts of the scene in an effort to make the conversation feel more authentic.
“I can try that rather than, you know, the technical stuff,” she explained.
When dealing with the specialist elements of Lana’s job, however, McClure emphasized the importance of following the script and relying on professionals to ensure accuracy.
The therapy sequence gave her an opportunity to experiment, knowing that anything that didn’t work could simply be removed during editing.
Familiar Faces Return Alongside Julie Graham
Several established characters will return for the fourth series.
Eric Shango reprises his role as fellow bomb disposal officer Danny, while Nabil Elouahabi returns as Hass.
Natalie Simpson is back as DS Helen Morgan, with Maanuv Thiara returning as DCI Amar Batra.
The new series also welcomes Julie Graham, who joins the cast as Commander Nia Quentin.
With six episodes, bigger threats and a writer openly warning that nobody should be considered safe, Lana Washington’s latest assignment looks set to test her once again.
Trigger Point returns on ITV on August 30.