Broadchurch star Jodie Whittaker dedicates National Television Award to sex assault survivors

Broadchurch won the award for best crime drama in Tuesday night’s National Television Awards, beating off competition from Line of Duty, Sherlock and Little Boy Blue to win the accolade.

The series finale, broadcast in April last year, left viewers shocked when it emerged that Leo Humphries, played by Chris Mason, forced 16-year-old Michael Lucas (Deon LeeWilliams) to rape Julie Hesmondhalgh’s character, Trish Winterman.

Actress Jodie Whittaker, who played grieving mother Beth Latimer, dedicated the award to survivors of sexual assault.

She said: “A special thanks to the extraordinary women from Dorset Rape Crisis, Dorset Sexual Assault Referral Centre who inspired this story by sharing their experience and expertise with us.

“We’d like to dedicate this award to the survivors of sexual assault and all the brilliant people nationwide who worked to support them.”

Julie Hesmondhalgh was announced as the first patron of Dorset Rape Crisis Support Centre shortly after the finale aired on TV.

The makers of the drama have been praised by police and rape counsellors who have said they hope the storyline will encourage real-life victims to come forward.

As reported by the Echo in July, Dorset Rape Crisis reported a 50 per cent rise in the number of victims contacting them for help - and it could be due to the show.

Set in a fictional close-knit town in Dorset, Broadchurch was predominantly filmed around West Bay.

Following the success of the first series, the epic cliff face became an iconic image with pictures of East Cliff shared across the globe. The area has also seen a huge spike in visitor interest thanks to hit TV show.

Jodie Whittaker received a warm welcome from west Dorset when it was revealed she would take over from Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor Who.

During the NTA awards, she shared her support of equal pay and called for more unanimous support for the campaign