Nelson actor stars in series two of Channel 4’s Screw

Lee Ingleby is in the critically acclaimed show, which stars Derry Girls’ Jamie-Lee O’Donnell and Nina Sosanya (His Dark Materials).

The former Accrington and Rossendale College student plays a character called Patrick Morgan, a new prisoner with a hidden agenda.

Lee said his character is “way out of his depth” in the show and believes he is behind bars for unjust reasons.

Lee Ingleby in Screw (Image: Channel 4)

Lee said: “When you first meet him, it's his first time in prison. His story is that he's a civil servant on remand, someone who interrupted a burglary for which he has been punished after getting a bit hands-on with the burglar.

“He's incredibly nervous and way out of his depth, so he tries to ingratiate himself with the officers because he feels like he doesn't belong there. Then things go slightly awry…

“I don't think he's trying to form a bond with anyone, he's trying to keep himself to himself. But he also realises that he shouldn’t stand out, must blend in, and keep his nose clean and not be a pushover or a weak link.”

Lee said the show gave him a new insight into the prison system.

“It was such an incredible set – the detail was amazing,” Lee said: “There's a lot of time hanging around somewhere in the back of shot, just overhanging the balcony and observing.

“It can be boring and it gives you a sense of what it's [really like in prison].

“We get to go back in our trailers or go home of course, but you get a real sense of that claustrophobia and the mind-numbing impact of that lack of movement, the lack of anything inspiring to do.”

Lee said his new insight into the prison system has highlighted its flaws.

The main characters in the cast of the first series of Screw (Image: STV Studios/PA)

He said: “I had an opinion but having a very small insight without actually and physically being there makes it clear that it's a flawed system.

“It's not as black and white as, ‘that man's a bad man’, which is Patrick’s mindset. There's always a story, there's always a situation. It's very hard to garner sympathy for a brutal killer and a repeat offender and to think perhaps we should sit down and listen to them.

“It's imperfect and an outdated system, almost medieval. But to try and enact a new system feels almost impossible too.”

The 47-year-old said it was a challenge to play an “ambiguous” character.

He said: “Having to play someone so ambiguous was a fascinating challenge, trying to do something interesting and real and truthful.

“We had good source material and advisors on set to help with the little things, to say that would never happen, or that you've always got to make sure that you do this before doing that. It all helps with the detail and reality of.”

Screw series two launched Wednesday, August 30 at 9pm. It can be watched live or on catch up.