Keeley Hawes teared up when discussing her powerful new role.

The Line of Duty star, 44, stars in the new Channel 4 drama It’s Sin which is written by Queer As Folk and Doctor Who writer Russell T. Davies and tackles the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

In the series, Keeley portrays Valerie, the ignorant and naive mother of vibrant young gay man Richie Tozer, played by Years and Years singer Olly Alexander.

Taking part in a Q and A with Matt Lucas for the series alongside the rest of the cast and Davies for Channel 4 and the BFI, Keeley discussed her role in the series and got rather emotional.

On who Valerie is, Keeley said: “She is what she is. She’s a woman of her time, she’s a product of her generation.”

She continued: “Valerie is someone who is very easy to dislike, really, I think.

“The trick was bringing something likeable to her because we have to have empathy with her.”

However, Keeley proceeded to tear up when speaking further about the role.

The Ashes to Ashes star said: “I knew people like her and at her core she loves and adores her children and her son, in her heart she adores him…”

Keeley got increasingly emotional, wiping tears away, and then revealed: “It has become apparent that I can’t talk about the show without crying…I can’t talk about the cast and how gorgeous and generous they were with me…I can’t talk about the characters…you carry them with you, they don’t leave you and that is down to the cast and down to their performances and down to Russell’s writing.”

The Bodyguard actress also revealed that she was so keen to get cast in the series as soon as she read the press release and spoke about it with her husband, Succession star Matthew Macfadyen.

Keeley recalled: “I read the press release about this show and I said to my husband, ‘Oh my God, I’d love to be in that!'”

It’s A Sin is premieres on Channel 4 on January 22 and is released in its entirety on the same day on All4.