BRITISH actor Samuel West is flying high playing angelic solicitor Zak Gist in quirky legal drama Eternal Law
In a career that's spanned more than two decades, Samuel has played many different roles, from Shakespearean monarchs and princes, through to Dr Frankenstein and an infamous spy to tragic dreamers.
However, there was one gaping hole on his CV which, thankfully, has now been filled.
He hadn't made a habit of tackling heavenly bodies until Eternal Law came along. And his character here, Zak Gist, isn't just any angel - he's also a lawyer.
"He's a tough, uncompromising angel who's not afraid to break the rules - which makes him sound like every bad cop that's had a series based around him!" Samuel says with a grin.
"He is grumpy though. He's quite cynical. Angels do tours of duty like soldiers do, and they get pulled back when it all gets too much, which is what's started happening to Zak."
The basic premise comes from Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah of Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes fame.
Joining Zak on Earth is his rookie angel sidekick Tom (Ukweli Roache). They rent rooms in the home of Mrs Sheringham (Orla Brady), a former angel who, unlike Zak, did give up immortality for the human she loved - only for him to die, leaving her bereft.
But there's another 'character' at the centre of the drama - the city of York.
The entire series was filmed on location there, with a former hospital overlooking the historic Minster providing studio and office space for the cast and crew.
It's a fittingly ethereal setting for this heavenly drama, and being there has given West a chance to reconnect with a county he feels is in his blood.
His actor parents - Timothy West and Prunella Scales - both grew up in Yorkshire, while Samuel himself, the elder of their two sons, lived there for two years until 2007.
"I used to run Sheffield Theatres and lived in Yorkshire, although North Yorkshire people believe that South Yorkshire folk are from a different country - and in some ways that's justified! I loved Sheffield and miss it very much."
Having grown up surrounded by show business, it seemed inevitable that he would become an actor.
After studying English Literature at Oxford University, he gained rave reviews for his professional acting debut as Michael in Cocteau's Les Parents Terribles.
Many acclaimed theatre roles have followed since, including the leads in Richard II and Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He gained a Bafta nomination for Howards End, in which he played Helena Bonham Carter's doomed lover, and other film and TV projects include Van Helsing, Notting Hill, and Cambridge Spies.
However, unlike many thespians of his age (he's 45), Samuel hasn't had what could be described as a signature role - until now.
Although he admits he doesn't have the analytical brain required to be a good lawyer like Zak, there are similarities between being an actor and a legal eagle.
"There's a certain amount of empathetic perception involved in defending somebody other people think might be guilty," he remarks.
"And there's a brilliant principle involved, which is being eroded at the moment thanks to the cuts in legal aid - that everybody deserves an equal chance before the law, whether they can afford it or not.
"I hope that this series will do something to remind people of that. It's a great system, and one that deserves to continue."
Coventry Telegraph
ITV’s Eternal Law- which featured angelic lawyers – has been axed after one series, according to star Samuel West.
