There's something out of the ordinary happening down on the farm - and Anna Friel has her doubts about some very peculiar country practices.

In the wake of BSE and foot-and-mouth outbreaks, there is a growing unease about how intensive farming methods affect the quality of food and in turn, people's health. These fears, together with concerns about the dangers of genetically modified foods, are at the heart of BBC1's new two-part drama, Fields of Gold.

The tale revolves around keen young press photographer Lucia Merritt (Anna Friel) and grouchy veteran reporter Roy Lodge (Phil Davis) as they investigate a rural hospital doctor who may be bumping off his elderly patients. The duo's source is worried farmer Mark Hurst (Max Beesley), whose grandmother is a patient at the hospital.

As Mark and Lucia become close, the high security surrounding agricultural experiments at his farm raises her suspicions. And when her discovery of a link between the shifty doctor (Mark Strong) and a large pharmaceutical company, whose director is leaning on a government minister (James Fleet), prompts a violent reaction, it looks as though Roy and Lucia may be on to the story of their lives.

For Friel, the issues raised by Fields of Gold are ones that she's passionate about. With a growing reputation on both the stage and the big screen - she drew plaudits on Broadway in Closer, and is appearing in the forthcoming big-budget time-travel adventure "Timeline" - the former Brookside star still welcomes the opportunity to work in television , which she sees as the perfect medium for this subject.

"A lot of this drama is inspired by facts that need public attention, and TV is the most powerful medium we have. I wanted to be well informed about the facts", says the 25-year-old actress who did plenty of research into the subject for her role. "The more I learn, the more I get scared about how little is being done to fix the damage we've done to the food chain".

Ian MacEwan