She is set to take centre stage in the BBC's latest hard-hitting drama.
And Anna Friel cut a casual figure as she headed to a Liverpool hotel to begin work on her new show Joe on Friday.
The Pushing Daisies star, 48, puffed on a cigarette as she headed into the hotel alongside her co-star David Threlfall.
Anna cut a casual figure in an oversized cream jumper and red striped tracksuit bottoms as she headed into the hotel to begin filming.
Her co-star David, best known for his role on Shameless, followed close behind, equipped with four bottles of Lucozade as he prepared to start work on the drama.
Anna Friel, 48, puffed on a cigarette as she headed to a Liverpool hotel to begin work on her new show Joe on Friday
The Pushing Daisies star cut a casual figure in an oversized cream jumper and red striped tracksuit bottoms as she headed into the hotel to begin filming
Joe will explore the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on one family, and has been penned by multi-award-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern.
Set and filmed in Liverpool, the fictional drama centres around the Mitchell family who are dealing with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse, and the knowledge that it was perpetrated by a member of their own family who, after serving his sentence, has just been released from prison.
Anna, who was BAFTA-nominated for her previous work with Jimmy McGovern in Broken, leads the cast alongside SAS Rogue Heroes star Bobby Schofield.
They will appear alongside Anna Maxwell Martin, David and Mark Womack.
Colin McKeown, executive producer for LA Productions says: 'This is a profoundly challenging and sensitive subject, tackled with intelligence and care by Jimmy McGovern. It's a privilege to be working with him again following the success of our previous collaborations on single dramas: Common, Care, Reg and Anthony.'
Writer Jimmy McGovern says: 'I can't believe the cast and crew that have been assembled for this production. It's a challenging film, yes, but I can't wait for it to be shown.'
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: 'Jimmy McGovern is one of our greatest dramatists, and a master at writing about today's world. His new film sensitively examines the pain of abuse and how it affects not only the victim but ripples out across the whole family.
'To see it brought to the screen with such a high calibre cast and creative team is further testament to the quality of Jimmy's writing.'
Her co-star David Threlfall followed close behind, equipped with four bottles of Lucozade as he prepared to start work on the drama
Anna starred on Brookside for two years where she played Beth Jordache on the soap.
Although, Anna may not have been one of Brookside's longest serving cast members, she certainly did make a splash on the show with her character featuring in two of the show's biggest plot lines.
The first dramatic storyline centred around Beth killing her father, Trevor, to death before both she and her mother hid him underneath their garden patio.
The following plot that shook the nation was her character's lesbian kiss - the first to ever be shown on British TV.
After her two-year stint on the soap, Anna went on to have an illustrious acting career and even bagged an Emmy award for her portrayal in Pushing Daisies and Marcella.
Her love live has been just as interesting, having previously had a brief fling with Robbie Williams in 1997 as well as Notting Hill star Rhys Ifans.
Anna took to Instagram to celebrate her daughter's 18th birthday last year as she shared a family snap with Gracie's dad, her ex-partner David Thewlis, 60
She later met actor David Thewlis whilst journeying to Cannes, and the lovebirds struck up a romance in 2001.
The same year, the actress underwent emergency medical care after a cyst in her ovary erupted.
It was also found that the actress has endometriosis. This coupled with her ruptured cyst meant it would be hard to conceive.
Despite her pregnancy struggles, Anna and her partner David welcomed their daughter Gracie Ellen Mary Friel into the world on July 9, 2005.
The couple split in 2010 but are said to remain good friends.
Last year the pair celebrated their daughter's 18th birthday as she shared a family snap with Grace and the former Harry Potter star.
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