Julie Graham hopes female-led shows will end the expectation that male actors will take lead roles.

The Bletchley Circle actress has said that programmes focused on women have a “different energy”, and TV producers are catching up to their popularity.

Graham has observed that female-led shows are still met with shock, and certain audiences expect a male protagonist.

She hopes that more women in leading roles will end these expectations.

The actress stars in The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco, which features four female leads.

Graham said: “We are starting to catch up finally but people are still surprised there’s not a main male protagonist, so for that reason it’s always great to work on. I love working on female led shows.

“They just have a different energy about them. It’s unusual.

“Especially because when you get older the parts do dry up to a certain extent, so it’s nice to be able to be involved a show where the women are the protagonists.”

The follow-up series, set in the 1950s, features four female characters who played a pivotal role in the code-breaking efforts in the Second World War moving to San Francisco to make use of their deciphering skills in a bid to solve crimes.

Graham has said that the show demonstrates the success of female-led programmes, which have the support of the market.

She said: “These female led shows get huge audiences because let’s face it, 51% of the audience are women.

“They’re really going after the wrong demographic if they say that women don’t want to see other women on TV, that’s absolute nonsense.”

The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco returns ITV on Friday April 26.