FILMING a major TV series right in her backyard was the icing on the cake for Mirrah Foulkes.  

The Palmwoods-raised actress stars opposite Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd in the ABC's new Friday night crime drama Harrow, which was shot in Brisbane and at Nambour Hospital. Having her father on set to watch her at work was just one of the perks for Foulkes, a graduate of Burnside State High School.  

"One of the things that was really exciting for me was the job was in close proximity to the Coast, so to actually have two stints in Nambour was really fun," Foulkes told the Daily.  

Foulkes plays Scenes of Crime Officer Soroya Dass, who works closely with the brilliant forensic pathologist Dr Daniel Harrow (Gruffudd).  

"Harrow is unconventional and eccentric, and there's something in Dass's character which finds that quite interesting," she said.  

"They both share that obsessive quality. They both tend to go above and beyond when it comes to work."  

There's also a spark between the witty, beautiful Sgt Dass and the medical maverick, which is played out across the series as they solve crimes side by side.  

"Tonally, the show is very unusual," she said. "There's a lot of death and crime in there, but there's also a lot of comedy. It's treading that line between the more heightened elements and the darker elements."  

This is the third police officer Foulkes has played on screen, and she's no stranger to a medical drama thanks to her Logie-nominated role in All Saints.   

"This is a procedural show so there's the crime or death of the week, meaning there's a bit of action for my character. There's some comedic action as well bordering on the absurd - in a good way I hope."  

In April cameras will roll on Foulkes' directorial debut Judy and Punch. Mia Wasikowska will star in the film, which tells the story of two Australian puppeteers who stage a show in the hopes of escaping their seaside town.  

"It's incredibly terrifying and exciting," she said. "I'm finding joy jumping between acting, writing and directing."  

Her favourite writing spot?   

"Mum and Dad have a property in Palmwoods and I have a little shack there. I often write there when I have a deadline. I love it; it's gorgeous," she said.  

Harrow debuts on ABC-TV next Friday, March 9 at 8.30pm.