Her monstrous DCS Carmichael mesmerised fans, and now her first comedic role in Motherland proves her impressive range
In her last appearance on primetime television, Anna Maxwell Martin drew a spontaneous combustion of hate on social media. Viewers couldn’t stand her – or at least, they loathed Patricia Carmichael, the monstrous detective chief superintendent making her police colleagues’ life hell in BBC One’s Line of Duty. When the show, which concludes its sixth series tonight, began trending on Twitter, enthusiasts outdid one another compiling memes on why Carmichael was so objectionable.
She was, to paraphrase the show’s devotees, the Monday morning alarm in human form. The physical embodiment of the teeth-grinding, passive aggression of the sentence “as per my last email”. Thousands agreed with one fan who noted that “the way we all hate Patricia Carmichael so much really is a testament to how insanely talented Anna Maxwell Martin is”.
