“I’M really glad we are shining a light on it.

“It’s such a rich and different life we’ve not seen in costume drama before.”

Jessica Raine talking about Jericho, a new eight-part series which begins on ITV at 9pm this Thursday (Jan 7).

Set in Yorkshire during the 1870s, it tells the story of a navvy town community gathered to build a huge railway viaduct.

Former Call The Midwife star Jessica plays Annie Quaintain, evicted from her home after the death of her schoolmaster husband.

Together with her two children – Martha, played by ex-Corrie actress Amy James-Kelly, and George (Sam Bottomley) – she heads for an uncertain future in the remote settlement of Jericho.