'Comedy is the best vehicle for tackling difficult subjects' - Elaine Cassidy on new Channel 4 show No Offence

The gritty Manchester-based drama aired on Channel 4 last night and the Wicklow native plays single mum Detective Dinah Kowalska.

"It's lovely that it's about strong women and Dinah is ambitious, capable and she is not by-the-book," Elaine explained.

The show handles tricky storylines, such as one about a crazed killer targeting vulnerable young women.

"It's really brave in the areas it goes to but it is done in a sensitive way," she said.

"Comedy is the best vehicle for tackling difficult subjects because it catches you off-guard and makes it easier to digest."

Elaine (35), who previously starred in Harper's Island, admits filming the show was "a tough job" and she even injured herself in the process.

"In the script it said: 'Dinah runs and crunches her ankle, but overrides the pain and keeps running'.

"I did exactly what it said and ended up with a sprained ankle and ligament damage so I told Paul to be careful what he put in the scripts after that.

"It was a tough job, filming on so many different locations and covering such dark stories, but it was definitely worth the blood, sweat and tears," Elaine said.

"Towards the end I was running on empty but I still had a smile on my face," she added.