A gritty drama partly filmed in Huddersfield hits our TV screens tonight.

Black Work, starring acclaimed actress Sheridan Smith, was filmed last Autumn in the town and in other parts of Yorkshire and LIncolnshire.

The former Kirklees College in New North Road was used extensively by the film crews for the three-part thriller, which starts on ITV tonight at 9pm.

Smith can do no wrong at the moment - she is on a roll and no mistake.

Sheridan Smith as Jo Gillespie.
Sheridan Smith as Jo Gillespie.

During the past few years, she has scored massive TV hits with Accused, Mrs Biggs, The Widower, Cilla, The C Word and an unforgettable episode of the most recent run of Inside No 9.

TV critics were expecting big things from Black Work, her latest project for ITV. It was written by Matt Charman, whose previous productions include Our Zoo and Suite Francaise.

Made in Huddersfield: see what else has been filmed in our town

“Sheridan Smith is a dream to write for because as an actress there’s really nothing she can’t do,” says Charman. “And Black Work is a story that pushes her to the limit - it makes her character, Jo Gillespie, doubt herself, her family, her friends, everything she’s always taken for granted, in her search for her husband’s killer.”

Jo is a policewoman whose husband, a fellow copper, is shot dead in mysterious circumstances while working undercover. But her investigation into his death leads her to delve deep into the last six months of his life, during which she uncovers shocking secrets about her marriage, which could have an impact on her young daughter and stepson.

To make matters worse, Jo has grown close to a colleague, leaving her overcome with guilt - a fact that puts further strain on her family.

“It must be a horrible feeling to trust someone and then find out they weren’t who they said they were,” explains Sheridan, while discussing the drama. “Jo thinks she knows Ryan and then her world falls apart. She trusted the police force to look after its own family and now she’s not sure of anything.

“I can’t imagine the state of mind you would then be in, to have to take all that in. She doesn’t know who to trust or turn to and fears for her family.”