06 Jan 09
The Bill tackles the difficult subject of post-natal depression in Little Girl Lost, a two-part special, going out this Wednesday and Thursday ITV1, 8pm. When seven-month-old baby, Charlotte Wainwright, goes missing, D.I. Samantha Nixon and D.C. Jacob Banks ‘Banksy’ investigate.
Actress Lisa Maxwell, who plays D.I. Sam Nixon found the story-line a difficult one to film: “My first experience of being a mother was terrifying to me; I thought I might not be good enough and when I found myself feeling irritable, irrational and inadequate I was reluctant to discuss with a doctor for fear of being judged as someone who couldn’t cope with a new baby. Retrospectively, I was probably suffering from mild post-natal depression. I discovered through this story that many women with post-natal depression go undiagnosed and slip through the net in the same way.”
While developing the story-line, the story team consulted a charity who work with people suffering with post-natal depression about the illness "We always aim to reflect real life on The Bill," explains series producer Tim Key. " post-natal depression is an issue which affects thousands of women, their families and friends, and we were keen to examine it in a sensitive and thought-provoking way."
Don’t miss the Little Girl Lost case file that opens here, straight after the program.