Actress Parminder Nagra 'gutted' at Alcatraz TV axe

Interview by Natalie Jamieson, words by Dan Cairns
Newsbeat reporters

Alcatraz actress Parminder Nagra says she's "gutted" that the drama/mystery series has been cancelled.

Lost mastermind JJ Abrams was behind the show and its plot focussed on the famous San Francisco prison.

"We only did 13 episodes," said Parminder. "It would have been nice to have another 13 episodes - that would would have been fantastic so people at least know what the hell was going on."

The Leicester-born actress said she "loved" her time on the show.

"Good roles come up once in a blue moon and when they do you just grab them with both hands and go for it," she told Newsbeat.

The development of the plot and the future of her character, Dr Lucy Banerjee, were also cloaked in secrecy.

"Even I was going, 'I want to know what's going on' because no-one ever told us anything," said Parminder.

"My interviews on that were generally limited to 'I've no idea!'

"They only give you just about enough to be getting on with, in terms of your character and whatever help you need."

'Grilling'

Alcatraz tells the story of a mysterious disappearance of inmates and guards on the prison island in 1963, only for them to start appearing again in modern day San Francisco.

None of the inmates have aged and they have no memory of where they've been.

The real Alcatraz island is in San Francisco Bay on America's west coast

Parminder said the creators of the show, Bryan Wynbrandt and Steven Lilien, had teased a few possible answers to the show's big questions.

"I've grilled them quite extensively," revealed the 36-year-old.

"They were saying some really cool, interesting stuff. I was like, 'I don't want to hear that now.' It was all the more gutting for me."

Alcatraz started off with 10 million viewers for its opening episode but by the final show it had dipped below five million.

In the UK, the show went out on the Watch channel.

Parminder has now moved onto US comedy/drama Pysch, playing a guest spot as the love interest of former West Wing actor Dulé Hill.

"I hope I'm funny," she admits. "I had a really good time doing it - it was a real breath of fresh air."

She's also appearing in a film called Twenty8K, which premieres in the UK on 5 July.

The British gang film is set in the East End of London and also stars Jonas Armstrong, best known as BBC One's Robin Hood.

Twenty8K goes on general release in September.