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Maxine Peake steps out of the dock, where we saw her playing Juliet Miller, a desperate mother in Criminal Justice, and dons wig and gown as defence barrister Martha Costello applying for QC in Silk.

"It's much more interesting being in front of the court," admits Maxine, "And I think performance-wise, it's harder pretending to defend someone than being the defendant."

Female QCs are few and far between, and with current Bar Council statistics suggesting there have been fewer than 300 female QCs ever in the history of the bar, Maxine explains how she set about researching the role of Martha and getting to grips with the life of a barrister.

"I met with Helena Kennedy QC at a charity event at the Royal Courts of Justice, around the same time I knew I was going up for the part. I remember thinking 'this woman is quite special and I'd like to find out more about this world'.

"Helena explained to me that she had spent years being frightened of everybody, and when she first came to the bar she felt like an outsider – her background, her gender, her accent – and finally she realised she was every bit as clever and sharp as the people around her, so I put a lot of these elements into the character of Martha.

"It's scary and it's true that women don't get a fair crack at the whip, partly because as a women you have to make sacrifices, such as deciding whether to have a family, and being a QC takes over your life.

"My character Martha is at an interesting age, she's mid-thirties, so those questions about what she's going to do with her life are going to come up, is she going to have a child, a family? It's career versus the rest of life, which makes up all of the dilemmas and challenges facing Martha."

As to what the audience can expect to see from Martha each week, Maxine explains: "Martha's principles are challenged throughout the series. I think in every episode and every case she takes, there are hard choices for Martha to make, she wants to stick to her morals and not sell out, but it can get her into trouble.

"Martha invests a lot in every client and case she's involved in, she gets too close. If you invest in everybody you represent, it is emotionally exhausting.

"In one episode Billy talks about her being a bit like Judy Garland. You're on stage, everyone is listening to you, the 12 members of the jury are hung on your every word, and then after court you go and sit in a hotel room far from home and you're on your own, it's really lonely.

"It's often thought there's an element of acting in a barrister's performance, they're performing in a court in the way an actor is performing on camera.

"When I began my research I visited a set of chambers and a court and met with barristers. There's definitely a similarity between actors and barristers. Initially I thought I'd be quite intimidated, but they met me with open arms.

"I also visited the Old Bailey and sat on the bench next to the judge during a trial. I was petrified, but they were all so welcoming and it did feel like we were cut from the same cloth."

Maxine goes on to explain more about her character and how easy it was getting into character.

"Martha is passionate, dedicated and very much her own woman. She believes unwaveringly in justice. She can be stubborn and a touch arrogant at times. I was really attracted to the role because I felt Martha was strong, intelligent and a flawed character. I also thought it would be extremely challenging for me to play Martha.

"I found performing in a courtroom setting was surprisingly similar to performing a piece of theatre. The court room is very theatrical and I really enjoyed that element of 'performance'. The wig and gown really do work as armour and I felt a lot braver once I was 'togged up'."

Maxine explains what else she wanted to bring to bring to role of Martha, along with the hard work and politics of a 'legal chambers'.

"I wanted to make her a little bit glamorous, I feel she's got her own personality, she's a bit rock 'n' roll. She's definitely into her music. It's funny because my friends were like 'hang on, that's you', because I love my music and red lipstick, which I always wear, worked for the character too.

"Martha is definitely one of the first characters where I thought there are a lot of elements I can relate to, either in terms of how she behaves, what she wears and her possessions, I mean her flat, I thought, 'Yes, I could live here'.

"And the music that's used in the series – Peter Moffat has great taste in music – when I read the script I was like 'brilliant' – Martha listens to The Clash and she likes Tom Waits."

As for what the viewer can expect from Silk, Maxine explains: "I think Silk does give a different insight into the legal world and how barristers live and work. It lets the viewer into all aspects of a chambers daily activity and focuses on the barristers and clients to give the drama a rich and interesting flavour."