'Trigger Point's Vicky McClure & Jed Mercurio Talk Season 2's Dramatic Deaths & How Much More Lana Can Take

In the course of Trigger Point’s second season, bomb disposal officer Lana (Vicky McClure) saw the love of her life fall to his death, a woman with a bomb collar around her neck explode seconds before Lana could save her, and terrorists plant a bomb in her parents’ house. This follows the first season deaths of her brother Billy and beloved bomb squad partner Nut. 

Speaking to Telly Visions about the show’s second season, star Vicky McClure says it doesn’t make a difference who dies. “It’s all a massive loss whether it’s a family member or a stranger, it’s only down to her,” McClure says. “She can’t delegate it and say, ‘Okay. I’ll pass this on to somebody else.’” Yes, this is a series about London’s bomb disposal squad, but how much is too much for one character to take? 

“That’s a conversation we return to all the time,” executive producer Jed Mercurio says. “No one can keep dicing with death week in, week out and always get through it unscathed.” For McClure, it’s constantly keeping what Lana has gone through at the forefront of her mind. “Lana just doesn’t look after herself. She puts other people first. She always has to put herself in danger to protect other people,” McClure says. “I am always really keen to make sure that we all note how she feels in her head and try to make sure the emotions are there and we’re not just sort of doing it for effect. It needs to feel authentic.”

To that end, the production relies heavily on the real-life explosive officers who advise the series. “We are all incredibly admiring of them, and we do everything we can in the show to pay tribute to their courage,” Mercurio says. “I think maybe we are accustomed to seeing heroes portrayed on TV as being real adrenaline junkies, and that’s absolutely not the impression you get from the real bomb disposal officers. They’re dedicated professionals, and what they are dedicated to is saving lives.”

McClure remembers getting a lot of flack from viewers in the show’s first season because Lana took off her helmet as she walked toward the bomb. The experts explained to her, “If that bomb goes off, that helmet will not save you. If you get to the device and you can’t see because the helmet blinds your view or your helmet knocks something, it is much safer without the helmet.”

Unlike many other action-based shows, Lana and her team often don’t save the day. “This isn’t a world where everything is going to be alright every week in every episode,” Mercurio says. “In order for the audience to really get hooked into the stories, we feel like we have to deliver genuine jeopardy. So from one moment to the next, you don’t know if someone is going to be in harm’s way and, if a device does go off, it could take out one of their favorite characters.”

That means Mecurio has had some difficult conversations with actors like Mark Stanley, who saw his character Thom Youngblood fall to his death this season (after being dramatically saved in the previous episode). “We‘re always grateful for the professionalism of the cast,” Mercurio says. “Everybody knows that it’s a show with a lot of real jeopardy facing the characters. All the cast are aware of the fact that one day their number could be up. So when it happens, we obviously want it to be the most dramatic and heartbreaking end for the character. When an actor recognizes that, I think they feel very enthusiastic about playing those scenes.” 

The second season brought the addition of two new characters: the new Commander John Francis (Julian Ovenden), a somewhat clueless rule follower, and a new DS Helen Morgan (Natalie Simpson), who at the start of the season is not only Thom’s new partner but also his new girlfriend. “Natalie and Julian are great actors. They are brilliant additions to the show,” McClure says. “Helen becomes an ally. There was a real connection there. I was able to deliver my favorite line to Julian when I tell him that he’s ‘a brown-nosing twat.’ He played it brilliantly because we were just wanting to establish how difficult it is for different teams in different areas to be able to communicate. It's going to cause tensions, and it definitely did.”

One thing that’s paramount is making sure the mood on the set stays as upbeat as possible. “It is a very sort of high-end, high-octane show that requires tension, for sure. So when we are not filming, there’s always music playing,” McClure says. “We've got to make sure people enjoy themselves while making some really tricky stuff. Ultimately it’s not the real thing. I wouldn’t be able to do that job. I’m not as brave as them.’

This season also focused on Alex (Tomiwa Edun), a tech wiz grieving the loss of his daughter who gets pulled into the terrorists’ activity without fully understanding the fatal consequences of his actions. “I think it’s important that they are real characters, that there is light and shade, and that there is mystery,” Mecurio says of the show’s antagonists. “We’re not sure what the objectives are, whose side people are on, and so on. The only way you can navigate that is to open a window on the world of the terrorist group so you begin to engage in what their ambitions might be.”

The second season ended with Lana thwarting the terrorists and saving her parents. While the show hasn’t officially been renewed for a third season, Mecurio is optimistic. “We are planning ahead, and hopefully, it won’t be too long before we are able to make an official announcement.” 

All episodes of Trigger Point Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on BritBox.