
In season two of
Criminal Record, rival police officers Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi) and Detective Sergeant June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) join forces after a young man is killed at a political rally. But what starts as a tentative alliance as they hunt for the murderer soon shifts to an undercover operation to stop a bomb plot in London.
This season the relationship is less antagonistic between Hegarty and Lenker. According to Capaldi, who recently spoke with SciFi Vision, that shift is partially due to Hegarty needing her help on a current case. “[L]ast season delved into the past,” he explained. “…This season is a happening case. It's an actually live case that they have to deal with, which is getting more dangerous day by day, and he actually needs June to help him.”
“[H]e does have a respect for her as a cop and knows how good she is,” he added, saying that, regardless, he isn’t interested in becoming her friend.
According to Jumbo, for Lenker, it’s because of her reaction to a murder she witnessed. “She feels so incredibly guilty about it and so disappointed in herself having allowed it to happen that I think she'll do anything to try to kind of seek justice for him, even if it means annoyingly having to work with Hegarty again,” Jumbo told the site.
As such, Hegarty is able to use things to his advantage and manipulate her. “I just try and give her a version of the truth, which works in my favor,” said Capaldi. “…He's somebody who is following his own agenda, but he's really good at what he does.
“[He] has to figure out what sacrifices have to be made, who has to be thrown under the bus in order to achieve the result he wants,” he continued, adding that he’s happy to throw Lenker under the bus if that’s what it takes.