Black Work was filmed in and around Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, allowing the star who hails from Epworth, Lincolnshire to use her natural accent.
She said: “Black Work started just after I had played Lisa Lynch in The C Word and my hair hadn’t really grown back that much at all at that stage.
“We spoke about maybe wearing wigs but then we thought, ‘Why not just go with how I am at the minute?’
“So Jo has short black hair, which also fits in with her being a police officer. It made me feel very different to other roles.”
Smith added: “I feel so close to me when I’m doing my own accent so it’s quite tricky to turn off my own emotions.”
Black Work airs on ITV tonight at 9pm
source: express.co.uk