Pauline Quirke for new BBC drama

Pauline Quirke has been cast in a new BBC daytime drama called Missing.

Quirke, who is most famous for her role as Sharon in Birds Of A Feather, will play DS Mary Jane Croft, a charismatic detective who runs an under-resourced department.

The drama, set in a busy Missing Persons Unit, sees staff race against time to save people who are at risk. Amidst all this, Quirke's character harbours a dark secret - she has a missing sister.

"I was amazed by how many people do go missing, that was a real eye-opener," said Quirke. "There are the cases we all hear about, but so many that we don't. It surprised me that in this day and age with all the CCTV cameras and a Big Brother society that it is still possible to disappear."

Missing is co-written by Ann-Marie Di Mambro, who has previously worked on Casualty.