Douglas Booth has taken on a new television role that represents a departure from his typical character choices. The British actor, known for portraying eccentric figures including musicians and literary characters throughout his career, sought to challenge himself by playing a contemporary, grounded character in a new television production.
In the ITV series The Blame, set to premiere Sept. 20, Booth plays Tom, a detective working in an English police department. His character operates alongside Emma, portrayed by Michelle Keegan, a determined officer who regularly confronts workplace sexism within the force. The narrative centers on the investigation of a teenage ice-skater’s murder, which compels both detectives to examine misconduct within their own department.
The series, adapted from Charlotte Langley’s novel, incorporates authentic text messages from real-world Metropolitan Police group chat scandals. These scandals previously exposed systemic racism, homophobia, and sexism within the organization, conduct that was often characterized as “banter” by those involved. Booth expressed significant discomfort upon learning that officers had actually sent such messages, which ultimately reinforced his commitment to the project and its message regarding institutional misogyny within police forces.
Booth described his character Tom as a man caught between conflicting moral and professional pressures. The detective seeks to act with integrity while navigating a toxic workplace culture and managing personal ambition. The actor characterized this internal conflict as Tom being “trapped in a moral bear trap,” suggesting a character wrestling with compromised decisions and ethical erosion.
The six-episode series functions as a mystery narrative in which multiple characters come under suspicion at various points in the story. Booth noted that the investigation unfolds with multiple layers, revealing connections between Tom and Emma’s shared history while maintaining uncertainty about the central crime’s resolution throughout the series’ run.
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