Claudia Karvan admits girl crush on barrister Josephine Newton in exciting new ABC drama series

CLAUDIA Karvan has long been credited with breaking new ground in quality drama in this country — now she's breaking into the legal world in an exciting new ABC series, Newton’s Law.

ABC legal drama will star Andrew McFarlane, Toby Schmitz, Brett Tucker, Claudia Karvan, Georgina Naidu and Sean Keenan. Picture: Supplied/ABC.

Claudia Karvan has long been credited with breaking new ground in quality drama in this country — now she's breaking into the legal world in an exciting new ABC series, Newton’s Law.

The Love My Way favourite will take the lead in the latest production by “blue chip” pairing of writer Deborah Cox (Seachange) and producer Fiona Eagger (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries) with filming to start in Melbourne tomorrow and set to air next year.

Claudia Karvan was Caroline in The Time Of Our Lives. Picture: Supplied

The ensemble is just as impressive, and includes Brett Tucker (McLeod’s Daughters), Miranda Tapsell (Love Child) and Toby Schmitz (Black Sails).

Speaking exclusively to TV Insider from the set, Karvan is ready to throw herself at the role of barrister Josephine Newton, in the eight-parter she describes as part “Upstairs, Downstairs” legal procedural, with a great family dynamic.

Think Silks meets Boston Legal.

“She’s an unusual heroine for this day and age in that she isn’t flawed. She’s a woman that I would aspire to be.

“I think she’s kind of magnificent. I’m in love with her,” Karvan said.

“She’s unapologetic, she has high emotional intelligence, she’s high-functioning and she’s brilliant at her job but at the same time, she’s really warm and got a sense of humour. She’s just quite an evolved human being, so I’m going to really struggle to play her,” Karvan joked, adding “a lot of acting is required”.

Claudia Karvan played opposite Guy Pearce in the TV series Jack Irish.

Fresh from producing Doctor, Doctor (coming soon to Nine), Karvan was “proud and very, very excited” about her move behind the camera, but was thrilled to now have “the luxury of all care and no responsibility of being an actor again (on Newton’s Law).”

Singing the praises of the cast, Karvan was even more effusive, especially of its diversity.

“It’s not old-fashioned, it’s not backward-looking and also, the production is getting to harness extraordinary talent like Miranda Tapsell, who I sat across from dinner last night and I can’t take my eyes off her,” she said.

Karvan’s come a long way since starring in Secret life Of Us.

“Someone needs to bottle her blood, she’s exquisite, I’m a big Tapsell fan.”

Tucker returned recently from Los Angeles and his fourth season on sexy US series Mistresses, to work for the first time here in five years.

He will play Karvan’s estranged on-screen husband, Callum Docker, an environmental lawyer and activist: “He’s been a fairly absent partner, geographically and he’s not over-the-moon with the idea of their separation whatsoever.”

The opportunity to work with Karvan however was enough to bring him home: “I’ve been watching Claudia my whole life and have the utmost respect and admiration for all aspects of her work. It’s really exciting to meet her and work with her for sure.”