Queen Charlotte and Doctor Who stars on the "unprecedented" reality behind their new BBC drama ...Middle East

As Europe is once again forced to reckon with the deepening climate crisis, what better time to tune into The Rapture, a BBC psychological thriller that unfolds against the backdrop of a heatwave?

Doctor Who's Ruth Madeley, who also appeared in spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, plays forensic psychologist Dr Gabs Fox, who is assigned to the case of 17-year-old Bethany Krall, an inmate at Oxsmith psychiatric hospital.

Bethany, played by Queen Charlotte's India Amarteifio, was sectioned two years ago for brutally murdering her own mother – a crime she insists she didn't commit.

The tragedy, shocking in itself, also attracted widespread attention because Bethany is the daughter of a spiritual leader with millions of followers.

But could Gabs be the key to unlocking the truth?

"Bethany seems to know private details about Gabs's life and insists she can see visions of the future, which she communicates through disturbing sketches of disasters: storms, fires and floods," according to the synopsis for The Rapture, based on Liz Jensen's 2009 bestselling novel, which tackles themes including climate anxiety and greenwashing.

"Bethany's nurse Rafiq insists her predictions always come true, but Gabs is sceptical, determined to find a clinical explanation."

"The story feels far more timely now than when I wrote the book," said Jensen, while writer Bryony Kimmings emphasised the "need [for] new stories around the climate. Lots of them and quick. Ones that are relatable, not dystopian hellscapes. This presented that".

"We know 17 years later, after the book came out, what the cost to the systems of the Earth are if we continue with our growth and our extraction," she added.

"It couldn't be more pressing to find new ways to talk about the climate crisis, the oil crisis, the ecological crisis in ways that aren't our old ways. This is an example of how to do it differently; with humour and love and some politics strapped in, but not rammed down your throat or trying to make you angry."

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Amarteifio echoed that sentiment in a conversation with Radio Times, praising Kimmings's script for not being "super preachy, which I hope will entice audiences who maybe would have been turned off by a series about the subject."

"Yes, there are moments where we very outrightly talk about it [climate change], but also, you see us sweating, it's hot, everyone's in summer clothes," she continued. "There's just this constant stickiness, the sepia tones. It makes you feel quite hot when you're watching it."

Our chat also took place in June, during the height of the UK's latest heatwave, when temperatures reached as high as 37.7°C (99.9°F) in Lingwood, Norfolk.

That beat every June temperature on record — including the infamous 1976 heatwave — to set an unwanted new high as the warmest June on record.

"And from my understanding, looking online and doing my own research, and also what's happening here, we're sat doing an interview right now and it's 34 degrees outside, it's really unprecedented and uncomfortable," expanded Amarteifio.

"So the fact that it's like life imitating art, art imitating life, is probably a really good time for something like this to come out and to start these conversations and to get people rethinking and remembering the climate and its importance in our lives and how much we have to look after it."

Madeley built on that, describing it as "a privilege to be able to talk about this and even make it a thing in people's minds".

"And just having that on people's screens for five hours, that's a conversation in itself, and because of the nature of this story, I think people will start to have conversations about it [climate change] without even realising it.

"It's so subtly done, it's just part of the narrative, and that just adds to the discomfort and the stifling heat that's affecting every single part of their lives and the lives of everyone today."

While Amarteifio was quick to add that she can only speak for herself, "there's a real awakening that we need to start doing more and stepping up".

"This heatwave is not a one-time thing, and the thunderstorms that we've had, the up-and-down way that the weather's changing, if that's not enough of a wake-up call, maybe sitting down at nine when this show comes out and watching it... might change people's perspectives," she continued, referencing the power of television to change hearts and minds.

"And if it doesn't completely flip their minds, maybe it's a start and sometimes you just need to plant the seed and let it grow, or at least just be open to other opinions or reasonings outside of it just being a "fluke" or "summer".

"Maybe we actually can look in on ourselves and hold the mirror up and say it's something we're contributing to."

The Rapture premieres on Sunday 26 July on BBC One and iPlayer. 

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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