Category Archives: Crime

UK shows to check out in May/June

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Dear ladies and gents,

here is a short selection of some of the upcoming and returning UK shows in May/June.

Returning shows


Scott & Bailey

– I really enjoy Scott and Bailey. It has two strong female leads (Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones respectively), the storylines are interesting and there is gore (but not too much gore and definitely not the type of gore that would put you off your food).


Case Histories

– another return show that I quite enjoy. Based on books written by Kate Atkinson, Case Histories is a about Edinburgh based private investigator Jackson Brody (portrayed by Jason Isaacs).

New shows


The Fall

– created by Allan Cubitt the latest series for BBC Two stars Gillian Anderson (yes that Gillian Anderson from the X Files) as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson from the Metropolitan Police Service, who is called in to investigate a string of murders in Belfast. Solid crime drama with totes creepy male lead.


Life of Crime

– ITV crime miniseries stars Hayley Atwell (of Captain America fame) as Denise Woods, a rookie police officer who becomes obsessed with a murder case of a teenage girl (whose killer has not been found, natch). The series follows Denise over the period of three decades as she rises through the ranks, but is still haunted by the fact the murderer is still at large.


Vicious

– Vicious is another sitcom for ITV. It stars sir Ian McKellen and sir Derek Jacobi as a couple who have been together for some 50 add years. They bicker and argue and walk their farty old dog. The thing is I did watch a couple of episodes of Vicious (come on, it has Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi in it, how could I not?) and I get they are trying to create the old school sitcom format (think Are You Being Served? and Keeping Up Appearances). The thing is I’m not sure they are being successful with it. Also the show is being slammed for stereotyping of gay men, which… I didn’t perceive it as such – anyone who has been with anyone for 50 odd years, surely you would bicker regardless of your gender or sexual orientation.


The Wright Way

– The Wright Way is a new sitcom for BBC that was written by Ben Elton. It stars David Haig (who you might remember from the Thin Blue Line) as Gerald Wright, the health and safety inspector for the Baselricky Council. Now Gerald is a bit persnickety about his job and will see threats to health and safety where there are none. The show is being panned by the critics, like a lot, but I don’t know whether that is down to show being atrocious (for what is worth, I have seen worse) or because Ben Elton wrote it.


The Job Lot

– new sitcom for ITV written by Martin Dennis. It is about the employees of a busy West Midlands job center, namely the manager Trish (played by Sarah Hadland), who is a bit of a neurotic and struggling to cope with the demands of her job.

WTF of the week – Broadchurch

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Image: ITV.com

Dear ladies and gents,

oh don’t let the title fool, this is good kind of WTF.

I reviewed Broadchurch just after it started. And yesterday we finally found out who the murderer is.

Don’t worry, I will not post any spoilers.

I would just like to tell you that the ending didn’t disappoint. Again, it was sad and wretched and miserable, even schmaltzy at times, but it is worthy of your time investment. I haven’t been so engrossed in another crime series since… hm… Luther? And I love me some Luther!

ITV has recommissioned the series and it should go into production at some point next year. It is still unclear who will return from the original cast.

So yes, if you are craving some good crime stories, do watch Broadchurch. Since there are 8 episodes, it might be too much to go through in one sitting, but you can spread it out over a couple of days to properly appreciate it.

Broadchurch – a review

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Image: ITV.com

Dear ladies and gents,

I think there is a new UK crime show on the telly right now that you might enjoy (and as always if you don’t like it, you are free to come here and call me a silly cow).

Broadchurch is a crime series produced by ITV and staring David Tennant as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, a disgraced officer who comes to Broadchurch and is looking to lie low for a while after a scandal (everyone keeps mentioning Sandybrook, but two episodes in we are yet to learn what the scandal was about). Anyhow Hardy is an outsider and gets partnered up with Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (played by the brilliant Olivia Colman), who is also a tad bit resentful since Hardy got the job that was technically hers.

Without giving too much away – Hardy’s first case is a murder of a 10-year-old local boy Danny and the small community is thrown into disarray.

I should say that Broadchurch is not revolutionary, it is after all a classic crime drama that ITV usually does so well. But the script, humming along nicely two episodes in, together with two strong leads Tennant and Colman makes it in my opinion worthy of your time investment (unlike lets say Mayday, which just… no).

Make no mistake – Broadchurch is all kinds of sad and wretched, a little boy has been murdered (the juxtaposition between the gorgeous seaside town and the crime scene is particularly jarring), but with a tight script and beautiful direction by James Strong, it is a solid crime drama that will have you hooked.

The trailer is below.

UK shows to check out in January

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Dear ladies and gents,

here is a short selection of UK shows you might want to check out in January. By all means – if you have any suggestions of your own, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Blandings

Blandings is based on P. G. Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle stories and it is about Lord Clarence Emsworth (played by Timothy Spall aka as Wormtail from the Harry Potter movies). Lord Emsworth lives at Blandings Castle together with his sister Connie, his dimwitted son Freddie and his prize winning pig the Empress. All Lord Emsworth would like is some peace and quiet, however a constant stream of visitors make that impossible. This is P. G. Wodehouse after all, how bad can it be?

Utopia

Ah now this show looks really promising. Written by Dennis Kelly, Utopia is a story about five strangers who meet through online comic book forum. They come into the possession of a comic book called the Utopia Experiment, which supposedly predicted some of the worst events of the 20th century. Almost immediately they find themselves targets of the rather shady governmental organization called the Network, whose members start to take them out one by one.

Ripper Street

Ah Ripper Street. It’s like CSI meets Whitechapel meets Sherlock Holmes. Ripper Street is set in Whitechapel (area of East London) just six months after the notorious Jack the Ripper murders. Matthew Macfadyen (who you might remember from Spooks – the early years) stars as Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, the inspector in charge of the H Division, police department responsible for keeping the peace in the area. A bit intense, just a tad bit gross, Ripper Street is not half bad. It bares saying that it can be seen on BBC America (in case any of our American readers are interested).

Spies of Warsaw

Spies of Warsaw is another period mini-series and based on the novels written by Alan Furst. The series is set in Warsaw just before the start of World War II. It stars David Tennant as Colonel Jean-François Mercier, new French military attache at the embassy in Warsaw, who gets involved in the world of mystery, intrigue and betrayal.

Great Night Out

Great Night out is a new ITV sit-com about four blokes who get together every week for a night on the tiles in Stockport. Have not seen this one yet so I can’t vouch for it, but it sounds a bit hm… bloke-ish?

Way To Go

Way To Go is a new BBC Three sit-com, about two half brothers and their friend who due to some odd circumstances start an illegal assisted suicide business. Hm yes.. I’ve got nothing.