Blog Feed: CrimeTimePreview

Blogger and writer Pat Nurse is on the case for episode 2 of BBC2's The Fall… THANKFULLY the suspense and edge-of-the-seat fear was not as intense in the second episode Gibson attends another murder. Pic BBC of new BBC2 crime drama The Fall,

Luther 3, Scott & Bailey finale, Elementary in London, Mad Dogs 3, Tamzin Outhwaite for New Tricks

Published on 2013-05-18 10:40:55

Stormy times ahead for lovestruck Luther. Pic: BBC • He may not be back on our screens until September, but here is an early peek at Luther to keep fans

Case Histories series 2, BBC1, starring Jason Isaacs PREVIEW

Published on 2013-05-15 11:54:36

Jackson Brody and sidekick in Case Histories. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★ BBC1: starts Sunday, 19 May, 8.30pm Story:

The Fall episode 1 — What we're watching

Published on 2013-05-15 10:42:42

Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson. Pics: BBC Writer/blogger

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher 2, ITV, with Paddy Considine, Olivia Colman PREVIEW

Published on 2013-05-12 13:35:23

Shaun Dingwall as Inspector Lock and Paddy Considine as Jack Whicher. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★★ ITV: Sunday, 12 May, 8pm Story: Jack Whicher is no longer an inspector and has left the Metropolitan Police under a cloud. But when he saves a cou

Hannibal, Sky Living, with Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy

Published on 2013-05-12 07:05:55

Mads Mikkelsen as Lecter and Hugh Dancy as Will Graham in Hannibal. Pics: Sky Living Rating: ★★★½ Sky Living: Tuesdays, 10pm Story: FBI man Will Graham is using his psychological empathy and insight into killers to hunt a mass murderer, Ga

The Fall, BBC2, with Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan PREVIEW

Published on 2013-05-10 10:18:59

Hunting the hunter – Gillian Anderson as DSI Gibson. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★½ BBC2: Monday, 13 May, 9pm Story:

Justified series 4, 5 USA with Timothy Olyphant PREVIEW

Published on 2013-05-08 02:14:52

Timothy Olyphant looks ahead to Justified's new series. Pics: 5USA Rating: ★★★★½ 5USA: starts Wednesday, 8 May, 10pm Story: Raylan tries to earn a little extra cash by doing a side job for an old flame; namely, locating a murder s

Murder on the Home Front, ITV, with Patrick Kennedy, Tamzin Merchant PREVIEW

Published on 2013-05-07 13:50:14

Tamzin Merchant and Patrick Kennedy in Murder on the Home Front. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★ ITV: starts Thursday, 9 May, 9pm Story:

Life of Crime, ITV, with Hayley Atwell PREVIEW

Published on 2013-04-30 04:54:05

Cop of ages – Hayley Atwell as Denise Wood. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½ ITV: starts Friday, 10 May, 9pm Story: It’s 1985 and Denise is in her early twenties, starting life as an idealistic WPC for the Met Police. Though a rookie cop, she

Scott & Bailey latest, new BBC series By Any Means, Mr Whicher

Published on 2013-04-29 03:40:19

Suranne Jones as Rachel Bailey and Nicola Walker as Helen • Scott & Bailey returns to the house of horrors that featured in episode one during this Wednesday's story (1 May, ITV, 9pm). We'll see Nicola Walker coming back as Helen Bartlett, the wom

Broadchurch — great finish for the best new UK crime series

Published on 2013-04-23 03:08:03

Oskar McNamara as Danny. Pics: ITV • Broadchurch revealed its secrets in the final episode last night and confirmed its position as the best new UK crime series since Sherlock. The Beeb, BSkyB, Channel 4 and ITV churn out dozens of murder dramas e

Jo starring Jean Reno, Fox UK PREVIEW

Published on 2013-04-21 11:00:26

Jean Reno, Tom Austen and Orla Brady in Jo. Pics: Fox Rating: ★★★ Fox UK: starts Sunday, 19 May, 9pm Story: When a body is found beaten and strangled under the 'Last Judgment' portal of Notre Dame, detective Jo must decode the murder

Hannibal — Sky Living in May

Published on 2013-04-16 03:34:58

Here's a glimpse of Hannibal, the new 13-parter coming to Sky Living (Tuesday, 7 May, 10pm), inspired by Thomas Harris's classic novel Red Dragon. Mads Mikkelson certainly looks a good choice to play Hannibal Lecter, here seen before the events of Si

Banshee, Sky Atlantic, starring Antony Starr PREVIEW

Published on 2013-04-15 03:05:52

Antony Starr as 'Lucas Hood', an ex-con on the run again Rating: ★★★★ Sky Atlantic: starts Monday, 29 April, 10pm Story: In a small Amish town in Pennsylvania, a recently released convict on the run from a mob he once double-crossed, takes

The Ice Cream Girls, ITV, with Jodhi May and Lorraine Burroughs

Published on 2013-04-10 01:27:09

Jodhi May and Lorraine Burroughs in The Ice Cream Girls. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★★

Broadchurch fever, Shetland returns, E4's new crime drama

Published on 2013-04-05 03:55:18

Ellie (Olivia Colman) and Alec (David Tennant).

Endeavour ITV, with Shaun Evans, Roger Allam PREVIEW

Published on 2013-04-01 10:21:19

Jakes, Morse, Bright and Thursday in Endeavour. Pic: ITV Rating: ★★★★ ITV: week of 13 April, time and date to be announced Story: Margaret Bell, a young woman with a heart condition, is found dead. DC Endeavour Morse suspects that the deat

Arne Dahl – The Blinded Man, BBC4 PREVIEW

Published on 2013-03-27 03:50:34

The magnificent six brought together by boss Jenny Hultin, centre Rating: ★★★½ BBC4: starts Saturday, 6 April (to be confirmed) Story: A special police unit is set up after three businessmen are murdered on consecutive nights. Detective J

Jonathan Creek, BBC1, with Alan Davies and Sheridan Smith

Published on 2013-03-26 04:00:12

Joey (Sheridan Smith), Jonathan (Alan Davies), DI Pryke (Rik Mayall), Rosalind (Joanna Lumley). Pic: BBC Jonathan Creek will re-materialise on our screens on Easter Monday for a one-off feature-length mystery, The Clue of the Savant's Thumb. Alan Da

Scott & Bailey 3, ITV, with Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp PREVIEW

Published on 2013-03-20 03:52:26

Rating: ★★★★½ ITV: day and time to be announced – week of Sat 30 March

Third degree: Cath Staincliffe

Published on 2013-03-19 03:15:16

Pic:

David Suchet on Agatha Christie, Arne Dahl's Intercrime series on BBC4, and Point Blank at the BFI

Published on 2013-03-12 04:15:42

David Suchet with Agatha Christie biographer Laura Thompson. Pic: ITV • Whether you like Agatha Christie's implausible novels or not, there is no denying her worldwide popularity. A new strand of the Perspectives documentaries begins with David Su

Prisoners' Wives 2, BBC1, with Polly Walker, Pippa Haywood, Karla Crome, Iain Glen PREVIEW

Published on 2013-03-11 04:24:03

Frisky business for Kim, Francesca, Aisling and Harriet. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★ BBC1: Thursday, 14 March, 9pm Story: Francesca, her dad and her two children are nearly burned to death in an arson attack organised by a rival of her imprison

The Lady Vanishes BBC1, with Tuppence Middleton, Tom Hughes PREVIEW

Published on 2013-03-09 07:15:10

Going loco? Iris (Tuppence Middleton) and Max (Tom Hughes). Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½ BBC1: Sunday, 17 March, 8.30pm Story: Wealthy young socialite Iris Carr breaks off from a holiday with friends in the Balkans and decides to return home on h

Quincy, ME and the Jack Taylor Collection DVD REVIEW

Published on 2013-03-04 10:04:04

Quincy, ME series 3 DVD: ★★★½

Shetland, BBC1, starring Douglas Henshall PREVIEW

Published on 2013-02-27 11:28:23

Douglas Henshall as Detective Perez. Pic: BBC Rating: ★★★½ BBC1: starts Sunday, 10 March, 9pm Story: Detective Jimmy Perez has returned to his native Shetland and is confronted by the shooting of an old lady and the discovery of human rema

Hannibal coming to Sky Living this April

Published on 2013-02-26 08:32:44

As Dexter moves into his last couple of series and The Following cuts its gory path across TV screens, another serial killer is having a show devoted to him as Hannibal gets ready to launch. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, who played the baddie in Casino Ro

Dexter series 7, on Fox UK, with Michael C Hall PREVIEW

Published on 2013-02-24 06:08:37

Dexter's secret is out – can he save his relationship with Debra? Pics: Fox Rating: ★★★★ Fox UK: starts Sunday, 24 February, 9pm Story: Dexter's world is coming apart after his stepsister, Debra, discovered his secret life as a k

Third Degree – crime author Laura Wilson

Published on 2013-02-21 02:56:12

Hauled in for questioning today is British crime writer and Guardian reviewer Laura Wilson, who is currently working on her 10th novel. Laura, whose books include the DI Stratton series among other mysteries set in the recent past, talks about her TV

Mayday, BBC1, starring Sophie Okonedo, Peter Firth, Aidan Gillen PREVIEW

Published on 2013-02-20 11:58:07

If you go down to the woods… the May Queen's disappearance exposes a community's secrets. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½ BBC1: Sunday, 3 March, 9pm Story: When a young teenage May Queen fails to appear at the annual pagan parade, her smal

Broadchurch, ITV, starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman

Published on 2013-02-17 06:33:16

Washed up? DS Miller with new boss DI Hardy (David Tennant), who has a lot to prove. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★★ ITV: March, day and time to be announced Story: DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie Miller are summoned to investigate the discovery of

Foyle's War series 8, ITV, starring Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks PREVIEW

Published on 2013-02-14 02:27:36

Caught out – Sam and Foyle break into a flat containing stolen uranium. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Alibi, starring Essie Davis, PREVIEW

Published on 2013-02-10 15:07:15

Unflappable flapper – Phryne Fisher. Pics: Alibi Rating: ★★★

Spiral 4: State of Terror, BBC4, starring Caroline Proust, PREVIEW

Published on 2013-02-09 10:00:30

Fromentin (Fred Bianconi), Gilou (Thierry Godard) and Laure Berthaud (Caroline Proust). Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½

Top of the Lake starring Elisabeth Moss – on BBC2 this summer

Published on 2013-02-07 09:58:55

Mystery surrounds 12-year-old Tui. Pics: BBC Few new dramas will be more keenly awaited this years than this new mystery starring Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss as a detective affected personally by the disappearance of a pregnant pre-teen girl in a remot

Murder on the Victorian Railway, Ripper Street 2, Murdoch Mysteries

Published on 2013-02-05 08:41:49

• Fans of Victorian era crime should be throwing their top hats in the air in coming weeks. BBC2 is showing a docu-drama about Britain's first slaying on a train – Murder on the Victorian Railway. This reconstruction of the investigation into a c

Complicit, Channel 4, with David Oyelowo, Arsher Ali

Published on 2013-02-04 11:58:58

Man on a mission – David Oyelowo as MI5 agent Edward Ekubo. Pics: C4 Rating: ★★★½ Channel 4: week of Saturday 16 Feb, day to be announced Story: Edward, a British MI5 agent, has been monitoring a suspected terrorist in the UK for thre

Spies of Warsaw on DVD

Published on 2013-01-30 10:10:54

DVD: ★★★½

The secret of Death in Paradise's popularity – it's fun

Published on 2013-01-29 10:27:14

An Englishman abroad – DI Poole with Camille. Pics: BBC Writer and blogger Pat Nurse gets away from it all in the company of detective inspector Poole and the laid-back cops of St Marie I'm a sucker for sunshine and living in England means

Coming soon – The Lady Vanishes BBC1, The Americans ITV

Published on 2013-01-29 02:31:25

Strangers on a train – Iris and Max. Pic: BBC • Here's Tuppence Middleton and Tom Hughes from the soon-to-be broadcast BBC1 remake of The Lady Vanishes, a cheeky reboot of the Alfred Hitchcock classic from 1938. This 90-minute thriller has a spa

Gabriel Byrne as Quirke, Sherlock on iPlayer, Jonathan Creek

Published on 2013-01-24 14:19:10

• Here's Gabriel Byrne as Quirke, his leading role in the eagerly awaited BBC1 series, currently before the cameras in Ireland. The stories about a pathologist in 1950s Dublin are rich and atmospheric, but the whole series of three is just dripping

Sons of Anarchy series 5, Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman PREVIEW

Published on 2013-01-22 12:16:40

Rating: ★★★★ 5USA: February

Vegas, Sky Atlantic, with Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis PREVIEW

Published on 2013-01-18 12:50:59

Cowboys v gangsters – Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis. Pics: BSkyB Rating: ★★★½ Sky Atlantic: starts February Story: In 1960 Las Vegas is a fast-growing entertainment mecca in the Nevada desert. Rancher-turned-sheriff Ralph Lamb, cha

Criminal Minds series 8, Sky Living, with Jeanne Tripplehorn

Published on 2013-01-16 11:41:18

Rating: ★★★ Sky Living: from Monday, 28 January, 9pm Story: The team tackles a case in which a Texas prisoner escapes during a transfer and consequently is free to terrorise new victims, branding them by sewing their mouths shut. This was in

NCIS season 10 begins on Fox UK tonight

Published on 2013-01-11 09:54:04

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service team of Gibbs, Abby, Ducky and the rest return to our screens tonight for the tenth series of one of America's most popular crime series – NCIS, on Fox UK, Fridays, 9pm. It picks up where the last season fin

Utopia, Channel 4, with Alexandra Roach, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, James Fox

Published on 2013-01-10 09:56:18

Assassins Arby and Lee are chasing The Utopia Experiments. Pics: C4 Rating: ★★★★½ Channel 4: starts Tuesday, 15 January, 10pm Story: When a small group of previously unconnected people, who have met on a forum, take possession of the orig

Jeanne Tripplehorn on Criminal Minds, Sky Atlantic's The Tunnel, Olivia Colman joins Mr Whicher

Published on 2013-01-10 06:36:57

• Jeanne Tipplehorn, star of movies such as The Firm and Basic Instinct, joins the eighth series of Criminal Minds, launching on Living later this month (Monday, 28 January, 9pm). She plays linguist Alex Blake, with the season opener seeing the tea

Sherlock vs Mrs Biggs at ITV1's National Television Awards

Published on 2013-01-08 07:28:23

• Sherlock faces off with Mrs Biggs at the National Television Awards, to be shown on ITV1 later this month (Wednesday, 23 January, 7.30pm). Both crime dramas have two nominations each, with BBC1's Sherlock down for best drama and male performance

New faces on Lewis and Silent Witness

Published on 2013-01-07 04:34:40

• Fresh faces are joining two long-running crime series this month. The new series of Lewis, which starts today (ITV1, Monday, 7 January 9pm), kicks off with established sidekick Hathaway (Laurence Fox), but by episode 3 – The Ramblin' Boy on 21

The Following, Sky Atlantic with Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy PREVIEW

Published on 2013-01-05 06:44:59

Deadly act to follow – Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) battles killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). Pics: BSkyB Rating: ★★★½

Father Brown BBC1 with Mark Williams PREVIEW

Published on 2012-12-31 04:21:19

Murder in the afternoon with Father Brown (Mark Williams). Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★ BBC1: starts Monday, 14 January, 2.10pm Story: Father Brown attends a tea party to celebrate a new church clock tower, presided over by his friend, Reveren

2012's ten best crime shows

Published on 2012-12-26 12:39:01

Here's CrimeTimePreview's rundown of 2012 crime series that held a gun to our head and demanded to be watched. The year saw the usual mix of the good (below), the bad (Silent Witness) and the plodding (Midsomer Murders, Lewis). But there were others

Spies of Warsaw BBC4 with David Tennant, Janet Montgomery PREVIEW

Published on 2012-12-25 02:42:02

Watching the Nazis – Colonel Mercier (David Tennant). Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★ BBC4: starts Wednesday, 9 January, 9pm Story: It is 1937, and Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier, a decorated soldier from the First World War, is a French mili

Midsomer Murders ITV1 – the case of the unlikely success

Published on 2012-12-20 02:15:04

Jason Hughes as DS Jones and Neil Dudgeon as DCI Barnaby. Pics: ITV Death and the Divas is the first of a new series of Midsomer Murders, starting at 8pm on Wednesday, 2 January, on ITV1. Writer and blogger Pat Nurse investigates the success of a pr

Restless BBC1 with Hayley Atwell, Michelle Dockery, Rufus Sewell, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Gambon PREVIEW

Published on 2012-12-17 13:32:01

Shady character – Hayley Atwell as Eva. Pics BBC Rating: ★★★★½ BBC1: Starts Thursday, 27 December, 9pm Story: One day in 1976, Ruth's mother Sally suddenly tells her she has been living a double life. She is not respectable Sall

The Killing III – the last weekend

Published on 2012-12-14 11:13:51

Shooting star – Sarah Lund. Pics: BBC Reinhardt and Zeuthen The devotion of British viewers to The Killing will be cut tomorrow night when the third series concludes and we say Hej hej to Sarah Lund and what has been a memorable TV drama. As L

Ripper Street BBC1 with Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn, MyAnna Buring PREVIEW

Published on 2012-12-08 12:35:30

Shadow of the Ripper – Jackson (Adam Rothenberg), Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) and Drake (Jerome Flynn). Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½ BBC1: Sunday, 30 December, 9pm Story: Between the factories, rookeries, chop shops and pubs of Whitechapel, In

Justified season 4 – trailer alert!

Published on 2012-12-07 16:42:59

'He's been investigated so many times, Internal Affairs have got him on speed dial.' Watch out – the new series of Justified is coming in 2013… Follow @crimetimeprev

Jack Irish: Bad Debts FX UK with Guy Pearce PREVIEW

Published on 2012-12-03 15:36:10

Guy Pearce as Jack Irish. Pics: FX UK Rating: ★★★★

Ripper Street, Shetland on BBC1

Published on 2012-12-03 03:03:19

• After ITV1's take on Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel comes the BBC's – Ripper Street. This eight-parter is set in Victorian London just after Jack the Ripper's killings. The action focuses on notorious H Division, the precinct from Hell, dealing

Crime Stories ITV1 – rubbish or riveting?

Published on 2012-11-28 15:01:28

Ben Hull as DS Ben Shaw and Jane Antrobus as DI Jane Preston. Pic: ITV Crime Stories, ITV1's new daytime improvised drama (weekdays, 2pm), is certainly dividing opinions. According to comments on the CrimeTimePreview piece below, these range from 'd

WIN! Two copies of New Tricks series 9 on Blu-ray

Published on 2012-11-27 05:15:26

The latest series of New Tricks, which has just recently finished on BBC1, was another big hit for the popular drama focusing on the UCOS squad of cold case retirees, played by Dennis Waterman, Alun Armstrong and James Bolam, and led by Amanda Redman

Jack Taylor: The Guards starring Iain Glen C5 PREVIEW

Published on 2012-11-19 15:10:23

Jack Taylor looks for a missing daughter in Galway. Pics: Channel 5 Rating: ★★★★ Channel 5: week of Saturday 8 December, day and date TBA Story: Beautiful Anne Henderson comes into Jack´s local pub and asks him to find her missing da

Secret State – a thriller that's well worth investigating

Published on 2012-11-19 02:42:13

Rupert Graves as ruthless minister Felix Durrell Writer and blogger Pat Nurse checks out C4's Secret State and uncovers a cracking contemporary conspiracy thriller, despite the low ratings Burned-out images of a small northern town blown up in

The Fear starring Peter Mullan Ch4 PREVIEW

Published on 2012-11-16 06:25:15

Red alert for Richie Beckett (Peter Mullan) in The Fear. Pics: C4 Rating: ★★★★

The Killing series three starring Sofie Gråbøl PREVIEW

Published on 2012-11-12 02:29:42

Sarah Lund at the murder scene that launches the third series. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★½

Southland series four starring Michael Cudlitz and Lucy Liu PREVIEW

Published on 2012-11-08 05:35:31

Rookie cop Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) in Southland. Pics: C4 Rating: ★★★★ More4: starts Thursday, 15 November, 10pm Story: Ben, Sammy and Dewey chase an armed man into a school. Later Ben finds himself working with cynical street cop Da

DCI Banks – how good is Stephen Tompkinson as the ITV1 cop?

Published on 2012-11-07 14:30:26

DC Blackstone, DS Jackman, DI Morton and DCI Banks. Pics: ITV As the last DCI Banks story in the current series begins on ITV1, writer and blogger Pat Nurse writes about liking the drama, while being less enamoured with its star… It takes ti

Secret State starring Gabriel Byrne PREVIEW

Published on 2012-11-05 14:59:27

Chaos – Deputy Prime Minister Dawkins (Gabriel Byrne) inspects the damage. Pics C$ Rating: ★★★★ Channel 4: starts Wednesday, 7 November, 10pm Story: Deputy Prime Minister Tom Dawkins vows to take on the American petrochemical company Pe

Imagine on Ian Rankin, BBC1

Published on 2012-11-04 14:57:35

Ian Rankin (right) with presenter Alan Yentob. Pic: BBC • Rebus fans must catch this Imagine documentary on Tuesday on BBC1, entitled Ian Rankin and the Case of the Disappearing Detective (10.35pm).

Inspector Montalbano – why it's the best show on TV

Published on 2012-11-03 08:15:39

Luca Zingaretti as Montalbano. Pics: BBC As Inspector Montalbano comes to his last couple of mysteries on BBC4, blogger and writer Pat Nurse reveals why she adores the Sicilian detective and will miss it when this series ends… Forensic pathologis

Falcón starring Marton Csokas, Hayley Atwell, PREVIEW

Published on 2012-11-02 07:46:50

Marton Csokas as Falcón. Pics: BSkyB Rating: ★★★★ Sky Atlantic: Thursday, 15 November, 10pm Story: Javier Falcón investigates a series of particularly brutal murders, which lead him to uncover shocking buried truths about his own famil

The Protector starring Ally Walker PREVIEW

Published on 2012-10-28 14:29:19

Tisha and Gloria investigate murder in the park. Pic: Alibi Rating: ★★★ Alibi: starts Monday, 29 October, 10pm Story: Gloria and her detective partner Michelle investigate what looks to be a mugging gone wrong. But when Gloria uncovers evidence that links the victim to a psychic, it appears that it may have been a targeted murder. Gosh, Americans are such a witty bunch, aren't they? At least, that's what their cop shows would suggest. The Protector is about two female detective [..]

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior starring Forest Whittaker and Jeanne Garofalo PREVIEW

Published on 2012-10-28 13:02:19

Profilers profiled – Jonathan, Coop, Gina, Mick, Beth. Pic: Alibi channel Rating: ★★½ Alibi: starts Monday, 29 October, 9pm Story: The elite profiling team at the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit investigate a series of murders in Cincinnati. Three men have been stabbed in hotel rooms during a three-week period. An unidentified blonde woman is suspected, but could someone else also be involved? This spin-off from the successful Criminal Minds series has a good cast, headed by Oscar-win [..]

White Collar starring Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay PREVIEW

Published on 2012-10-24 13:05:28

Rating: ★★★

Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2012 Winners

Published on 2012-10-19 02:50:29

Host Bradley Walsh. Pic: ITV Leading faces from the crime world – Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Jo Nesbo, Lara Pulver, Stephen Graham, Kathy Reichs – were on the black carpet for last night's Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards. And it was BBC1's Sherlock that again scooped several awards – TV Dagger, best actor (Mr Cumberbatch), best supporting actor (Mr Freeman).

New TV Crime Dramas 2013

Published on 2012-10-17 03:44:57

From period gangster stories, to serial killers, issue-driven dramas and the return of a few old favourites, 2013 has a rich selection of some terrific new crime series. Great writing from the likes of Jimmy McGovern, and compelling acting from Gillian Anderson, Gabriel Byrne, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant and many others are coming our way in new dramas (Peaky Blinders, The Fall), adaptations (Quirke, Doors Open) and returning heroes – and anti-heroes (Sherlock, Luther). Watch out… Pi [..]

Elementary starring Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu PREVIEW

Published on 2012-10-13 11:12:31

Helluva backdrop for the new Holmes – Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller. Pics: BSkyB Rating: ★★★★ Sky Living: starts Tuesday, 23 October, 9pm Story: An unhappy episode in London and a stint in drug rehabilitation pitches consulting detective Sherlock Holmes into a spell of recuperation in New York. At the insistence of his father, Sherlock is forced to take on a 'sober companion', Dr Joan Watson, who is to monitor his recovery. After the kerfuffle over this US update suppose [..]

DCI Banks series two with Stephen Tompkinson PREVIEW

Published on 2012-10-10 02:43:15

DCI Alan Banks is back leading the serious crimes team. Pics: ITV1 Rating: ★★★ ITV1: starts Wednesday, 10 October, 9pm Story: DS Annie Cabbot is pregnant and about to go on maternity leave, and DCI Alan Banks is going to miss her badly. But then a mysterious phone message draws him to Harrogate to search for his estranged younger brother, Roy. Banks is back for the first of six new episodes. Series one didn't create a huge splash, but Stephen Tompkinson, who plays Banks, has a qu [..]

Homeland series two starring Damian Lewis and Claire Danes PREVIEW

Published on 2012-10-04 05:55:46

Watching their backs – Brody and Carrie. Pic: Channel 4 Rating: ★★★★

Boardwalk Empire series three with Steve Buscemi PREVIEW

Published on 2012-10-01 14:58:34

Rating: ★★★★½ Sky Atlantic: Saturdays (from 29 September), 9pm Story: Welcoming in the New Year – 1923 – Nucky Thompson tells his bootlegger compadres that he will no longer be supplying them with booze. He will only sell to Arnold Rothstein, and they will have to pay his price… Nucky's Egyptian-theme New Year's Eve bash. Pics: BSkyB The champagne corks are popping – Boardwalk Empire is back. It's the eve of 1923 and Nucky Thompson is about to make a whole new [..]

Romanzo Criminale series two PREVIEW

Published on 2012-09-29 11:32:00

Violence and conspiracy – right on cue. Pics: BSkyB Rating: ★★★★ Sky Arts 1: Tuesdays, 9pm Story: Libanese is dead. The gang moves into the 1980s facing inner tensions and a brutal battle to consolidate it's position as major player in Rome's criminal underworld. Dandi and Patrizia Italian gangster epic Romanzo Criminale is already back on Sky Arts and it's definitely

Homeland series 2 promo

Published on 2012-09-25 15:54:47

Series one just picked up six Emmys and Homeland season two is coming to Channel 4 on Sunday, 11 October. Here's a pretty stylish trailer for the next instalment of this taut thriller, starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. Follow @crimetimeprev

New Tricks series nine DVD REVIEW

Published on 2012-09-25 02:57:22

DVD: ★★★★

The Glades series one with Matt Passmore PREVIEW

Published on 2012-09-22 12:11:30

Rating: ★★★

Hunted starring Melissa George PREVIEW

Published on 2012-09-21 05:16:21

Melissa George as Sam Hunter in Hunted. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★ BBC1: Part 1/8 starts Thursday, 4 October, 9pm Story: Sam Hunter, an operative for the elite private intelligence and security firm Byzantium, is finishing a mission in Tangier when an attempt on her life leaves her critically injured. Not knowing who tried to kill her, she disappears to a remote location to recover, regroup and retrain. Hunted is filling the spy slot left on BBC1 by Spooks. And the Beeb has chucked a lot [..]

Why Breaking Bad is way better than Downton Abbey: four reasons

Published on 2012-09-19 16:07:53

Cooking up a storm – Jesse and Walter. Photos: AMC, Ben Leuner/AMC It's on the cover of Radio Times, a whole edition of the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine was devoted to it and the trailers are all over the internet. The fanfare for series three of ITV1's Downton Abbey is loud and unavoidable. And America is not immune, with the period drama being the only British contender in next Sunday's Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series. It's so bad, it's great But als [..]

Dexter season 7 promo

Published on 2012-09-17 13:57:44

Series 7 of Dexter launches in the US on 30 September and it looks like being a game-changer for the character… Follow @crimetimeprev

Accused 1, Inspector Montalbano 2 DVD REVIEW

Published on 2012-09-11 10:42:41

DVD: ★★★★½ Extras: ★★★ Six episodes of terrific writing and great acting. Jimmy McGovern, the man behind Cracker, The Street and The Lakes and the lead writer on these stories, is so respected by actors that this hard-hitting series about men and women who find themselves accused of crimes attracted an A-list of British talent – Marc Warren, Andy Serkis, Christopher Eccleston, Naomie Harris, Mackenzie Crook, Ben Smith, Peter Capaldi and Juliet Stevenson. Each story is powerful, [..]

Lilyhammer starring Steven Van Zandt PREVIEW

Published on 2012-09-09 12:19:05

Witness protection is a dish best served cold for Frank Tagliano – in Norway. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½ BBC4: starts Tuesday, 11 September, 10pm Story: New York Mafia member Frank Tagliano agrees to testify against his new boss when he thinks that he has been overlooked for promotion – on condition that he is relocated with a new identity in the FBI's witness protection programme and asks to be sent to Lillehammer, Norway. The Mafia genre meets Nordic noir in this offbeat crime mashu [..]

The Scapegoat starring Matthew Rhys, Sheridan Smith, Eileen Atkins PREVIEW

Published on 2012-09-06 02:59:57

Double-dealings in The Scapegoat. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½ ITV1: Sunday, 9 September, 9pm Story: Teacher John Standing has just lost his job when his life takes a turn of bizarre and dangerous proportions. He meets a man in a pub-hotel who is his exact likeness. Johnny Spence is a charmer who wines and dines John, but when John wakes the following morning, Johnny has disappeared with John's clothes. Johnny's driver then arrives to take John 'home', which turns out to be [..]

A sky-full of Bond on Sky Movies in October

Published on 2012-09-05 13:58:54

The world is not enough so 007 is also taking over a whole

The Bletchley Circle, with Anna Maxwell Martin, Rachael Stirling PREVIEW

Published on 2012-09-04 02:18:01

Sophie Rundle as Lucy, Anna Maxwell Martin as Susan, Julie Graham as Jean and Rachael Stirling as Millie. Pic: ITV Rating: ★★★★ ITV1: starts Thursday, 6 September, 9pm Story: In 1952, Susan, Millie, Lucy and Jean have returned to their normal lives after distinguished – and secret – service in code breaking during the war. Their humdrum lives hide their brilliant abilities, until Susan – a mathematics expert able to spot and interpret patterns – becomes interested in a ser [..]

A Mother's Son starring Hermione Norris, Martin Clunes PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-31 15:44:44

Martin Clunes,

Mrs Biggs ITV1 with Sheridan Smith and Danny Mays PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-29 02:49:14

Sheridan Smith as Mrs Biggs. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★★ ITV1: Wednesday, 5 September, 9pm Story: As a teenager on a train in 1957, Charmian Brent meets and falls for flirty, worldly Ronnie Biggs. It's the start of a struggle to keep the relationship alive and happy in the face of horrified opposition from Charmian's middle-class dad, Ronnie's spell in jail, and then his worldwide notoriety as one of the Great Train Robbers. Charmian and Ronnie on an early date For once t [..]

ITV making new series of Vera, Law & Order: UK and Scott & Bailey

Published on 2012-08-28 02:19:40

Scott & Bailey. Pic: ITV • Three recent ITV1 hits are returning for new series – Vera, Law & Order: UK and Scott & Bailey. Series 3 of Vera goes into production with Brenda Blethyn in September for four new two-hour films. Law & Order: UK starts filming in November, but without Freema Agyeman and Harriet Walters, who have other theatre and filming commitments. Scriptwriter Emilia Di Girolamo returns to create a two-part story, with the second part exploring a day in the life of the characte [..]

New Tricks series 9 PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-27 10:28:27

Dennis Waterman, James Bolam, Amanda Redman and Alun Armstrong. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½ BBC1: starts Monday, 27 August, 9pm Story: Jack Halford’s behaviour – secret calls, personal appointments and an obsession over an outstanding case – is causing the team some concern. But nothing can prepare them for the bombshell he’s about to drop. Halford is quitting UCOS. In critical terms, New Tricks is bomb-proof. This comfy old cardie of a show is about to begin its ninth seri [..]

Inspector Montalbano series 2, starring Luca Zingaretti PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-24 06:33:33

Cool operator: Luca Zingaretti as Montalbano. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½

Murder: Joint Enterprise, BBC2, starring Karla Crome and Robert Pugh PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-23 06:14:40

Stefan and Coleen – did they act together in killing Erin? Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★½

Inspector George Gently starring Martin Shaw PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-22 05:52:35

Martin Shaw as Gently and Lee Ingleby as Bacchus. Pics: BBC Gently Northern Soul is the 90-minute story opening this new series. Rating: ★★★½ BBC1: Sunday, 26 August, 8.30pm Story: It's 1968 and after a Northern soul dance night at a Newcastle dance hall, the daughter of a West Indian family, who had been at the event with a friend, is found dead on waste ground. A difficult case for Gently and Bacchus is made more challenging by the racist attitudes that were common at the tim [..]

Boardwalk Empire series 3 trailer

Published on 2012-08-21 05:51:02

The new series comes to Sky Atlantic next month, and Al Capone is beginning to find his feet as a serious player. Here's a taster…

Good Cop, BBC1, starring Warren Brown PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-15 02:19:54

Warren Brown as PC Rocksavage. Pic: BBC Rating: ★★★★½ BBC1: starts Thursday, 30 August, 9pm Story: PC Rocksavage sees his patrol partner suffering a sadistic attack, which sends his already complicated life into turmoil when he takes matters into his own hands. Warren Brown steps up from being Idris Elba's sidekick in Luther to leading player in this complex, powerful new cop drama. This is one of the best opening episodes to a crime show I've seen this year, Line of Duty i [..]

The Genius of Hitchcock at the BFI

Published on 2012-08-14 13:38:03

Here's a mystery for you. What's the cinematic event of the next couple of months going to be? The release of Anna Karenina? On the Road? Hope Springs? Absolutely not. In London, at least, it must be part two of the British Film Institute's tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. Stretching from June to October, the celebration next month will feature the usual gems – The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, The Birds, Rear Window – along with some special treats. These will include rarely seen Hitchcocks from e [..]

Accused, BBC1, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-13 07:47:19

Tony (Stephen Graham) and Tracie (Sean Bean). Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★½ BBC1: Tuesday, 14 August, 9pm Story: Simon is a teacher by day and Tracie by night, a lonely tranvestite. She meets Tony, and though the relationship is complicated, Tracie thinks happiness may be close, until events take a tragic turn. Tracie's Story – the opener for this new four-part series – is a gobsmacking and daring drama. And that's not just because it has the headline-grabbing prospect of Sean Bean � [..]

The Last Weekend ITV1 with Shaun Evans, Rupert Penry-Jones PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-06 02:15:55

Rupert Penry-Jones and Shaun Evans as the best of frenemies Rating: ★★★★½

13 Steps Down on ITV1 starring Luke Treadaway PREVIEW

Published on 2012-08-01 01:25:36

Luke Treadaway, Anna Calder-Marshall, Gemma Jones, Geraldine James. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★★ ITV1: Wednesday, 8 August, 9pm Story: Mix is a trainer-wearing, fitness-machine repairman who has sex with bored rich women and fantasises about the serial killer John Reginald Christie. He is also stalking a catwalk model, Nerissa Nash. His obsessive fantasy world eventually opens up his potential for real-life murder. Great to see Ruth Rendell's work back on prime time. The author behind the [..]

Person of Interest on Channel 5 starring Jim Caviezel PREVIEW

Published on 2012-07-29 11:14:18

The heat is on – Reese has to work out who is about to commit a violent crime Rating: ★★★★

Line of Duty series 2, Sebastian Bergman novel, Ruth Rendell's Thirteen Steps Down on ITV1

Published on 2012-07-26 14:17:26

• So, Line of Duty has been recommissioned for a second series, having concluded with the suicide of Lennie James' character DCI Tony Gates at the end of the five-parter. The Beeb's honchos are pleased with viewing figures of between three and four million for the drama, and Jed Mercurio did a fine job in creating a cop show that veered away from the boring procedural cliches – homicide cops turning up at a murder scene etc – for a more realistic slant on modern policing and corruption. [..]

Luther at Harrogate Crime Festival – series 3 is going to be 'carnage'

Published on 2012-07-23 12:59:25

Idris Elba as Luther. Pic: BBC Special report: Charlotte Biermann BBC1’s popular and critically controversial Luther came under the spotlight at this year’s Harrogate Crime Writing Festival over the weekend. Journalist

CSI: Miami series 10 starring David Caruso PREVIEW

Published on 2012-07-21 14:02:23

Rating: ★★★ Channel 5: Saturdays, starts 21 July, 10.10pm Story: Horatio strives desperately to save Natalia, before setting a trap for Randy North. In episode 2, Wolf is called to a murder scene at an expensive hotel, where the wealthy victim turns out to be a gigolo. The tilt of the head, the clenched delivery of his questions, the eyes narrowed – David Caruso's Horatio Caine is back for one last series of CSI: Miami. The slick forensic investigations into the murders in the Florid [..]

Vegas and The Following coming to Sky Atlantic; Elementary will be on Living

Published on 2012-07-03 12:50:57

Sky has just announced a triple whammy of forthcoming crime/thriller shows from the States. Vegas stars Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point) and Michael Chiklis (The Shield) in a Boardwalk Empire-type trip back to old days in Vegas. Quaid is former Las Vegas sheriff Ralph Lamb, tasked with bringing order to the new gambling mecca that wise guys like Vincent Savino (Chiklis) want to carve up. It's a Mad Men era crime caper from Goodfellas writer Nicholas Pileggi. Meanwhile, Sky Atlantic is also lining [..]

Blackout starring Christopher Eccleston, Dervla Kirwan

Published on 2012-07-03 03:59:45

Hitchcockian assassination scene from Blackout. Pics:BBC Rating: ★★★★½ Channel: BBC1, starts Monday, 2 July, 9pm Story: Corrupt council official Daniel Demoys' life is spiralling out of control. He's an alcoholic, his wife has had enough of his lifestyle, and he finds himself in an alleyway with the businessman who is bribing him when his life takes a violent turn. Blackout is a bold bit of TV noir. It's hard to look away from the car-crash life of local politician Danie [..]

Wallander: An Event in Autumn starring Kenneth Branagh PREVIEW

Published on 2012-06-30 12:41:26

Kenneth Branagh returns as Wallander. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★½ BBC1: Sunday, 8 July, 9pm Story: A young pregnant woman is seen plunging from a ferry travelling from Poland to Sweden. As Kurt Wallander is summoned to inspect her remains found on a beach, a death closer to home soon comes to haunt him. You have to marvel at Kurt Wallander's rotten luck. Not exactly the laughing policeman at the best of times, the glum one has no sooner found himself a lovely country retreat to share w [..]

Wallander returns in July

Published on 2012-06-29 03:00:48

Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) and Ann-Britt Hoglund (Sarah Smart). Pic: BBC/Left Bank The third series of Kenneth Branagh's Wallander is back on BBC1 on Sunday, 8 July. The first of three investigations based on the stories of Swedish author Henning Mankell, An Event in Autumn, will get the season rolling. Kurt is seeking a new life in the countryside, only to find a corpse buried at the back of his garden… No wonder he's always a bit glum. CrimeTimePreview will have a full preview of the open [..]

Case Sensitive series 2, starring Olivia Williams PREVIEW

Published on 2012-06-27 02:37:35

Darren Boyd and Olivia Williams as Waterhouse and Zailer. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½ ITV1: Sunday, 8 July, 9pm Story: Teacher Ruth Blacksmith has left her husband, Jason, for troubled musician Aidan. Jason has gone into an alcoholic decline, losing his job at the same school as his wife. Ruth wants a divorce and is looking forward to a new life with Aidan, until the love triangle results in murder. The good news for anyone who enjoyed the first series of Case Sensitive is that Olivia [..]

Third Degree: Zoë Sharp, creator of the Charlie Fox thrillers

Published on 2012-06-20 03:39:07

Zoë Sharp wrote her first novel when she was 15. It was not until 2001, however, after she had tried her hand at jobs ranging from van driver to newspaper ad sales to motoring correspondent, that she finally publisher her breakout Charlie Fox novel Killer Instinct. Fox, the self-defence instructor with a shady military background, has proved hugely popular with readers through nine novels and has been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox TV. We brought Zoë in for questioning to see who she would [..]

Justified 3 – Slaughterhouse, starring Timothy Olyphant. Don't miss it!

Published on 2012-06-17 12:00:27

Best of enemies – Walton Goggins as Boyd and Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Rating: ★★★★½

Line of Duty starring Lennie James PREVIEW

Published on 2012-06-11 02:37:44

Line of Duty: DCI James, DS Arnott and DC Fleming. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★ BBC2: starts June, day and time to be confirmed Story: Steve Arnott is a young officer who's fallen foul of his superiors for refusing to help in the cover-up of an operation that ended in the shooting of an innocent father. He seems ideal to join AC-12, an anti-corruption police unit, just as it starts to investigate Detective Chief Inspector Tony Gates, the regional force's Officer of the Year. Dodg [..]

Hit & Miss gets better and better; crime events in Edinburgh and Harrogate

Published on 2012-06-10 05:20:51

Hit & Miss: Ben, John, Eddie, Mia, Levi, Ryan, Riley and Leonie. Pics: Sky Atlantic Ben (Jonas Armstrong) intervenes when the kids attack the hermit • The fourth episode of Hit & Miss this Tuesday (12 June, Sky Atlantic, 10pm) continues to startle with its twists, brutality and tenderness. The hermit who's been spying on the smallholding finally comes out of hiding when little Leonie is home alone, Mia's penchant for violence and vengeance along with her novice parenting skills are exposed [..]

Copper – BBC America's first original drama launches this summer

Published on 2012-06-05 13:59:50

August will see the launch of BBC America's first original drama, a 10-part period crime drama called Copper. Set in 1860s New York, it immediately brings to mind Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York as it too features the city's infamous Five Points neighbourhood. Here, though, the story follows Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones, who starred in the Beeb's Spooks, or MI-5 as it's called Stateside). He's described as an 'intense, rugged Irish-American cop' who is struggling to maintain his moral c [..]

Lewis – still fit for duty?

Published on 2012-06-02 04:08:31

Kevin Whately as Lewis in series finale The Indelible Stain. Pics: ITV Script developer Charlotte Biermann investigates ITV1's latest series of Lewis… Last episode of the season, The Indelible Stain, is on ITV1, Wednesday 6 June, 8pm The sixth series of Lewis returned amid a hiatus; before the first episode had even aired the creator of its forefather, Inspector Morse, provocatively stated in a Radio Times interview that he did not think Lewis 'can go on much longer', which [..]

Elementary trailer – Sherlock in modern-day New York

Published on 2012-05-30 04:55:01

Here's a trailer for Elementary, CBS's own modern update of Sherlock Holmes, following the Beeb's brilliant success in Sherlock. Jonny Lee Miller is the sleuth and Lucy Liu plays Watson. See what you think. To me it doesn't seem to have the edge that Steven Moffat's Sherlock, and JLM plays the part a bit too jokily. Radio Times also has a piece about Moffat saying that the US version is too far removed from the original stories. See what you make of it – comments below!

Could The Killing's creator be about to make a series in the UK?

Published on 2012-05-29 02:51:18

Soren Sveistrup, the man who created The Killing, made a rare interview appearance at Crimefest in Bristol at the weekend. He was attending the launch of the novelisation of The Killing with the book's British author, David Hewson. One tantalising possibility that came out of their interview with critic Barry Forshaw before an audience of authors and crime fiction fans was that Sveistrup could make a British series when The Killing 3 finishes filming in September. Forshaw asked Sveistrup if wou [..]

Third Degree: Matt Hilton, thriller writer and creator of Joe Hunter

Published on 2012-05-24 08:51:50

We brought thriller writer MATT HILTON into headquarters for questioning about his TV and reading activities. Matt has written a string of bestsellers and will this weekend be giving a talk on Unarmed Combat in Crime Fiction: The Myths Dispelled at Bristol's CrimeFest. As you'd expect from a martial arts devotee and the creator of the full-blooded Joe Hunter thrillers, Matt likes a story that packs a wallop… Your favourite British crime series or thriller on TV? These days I don' [..]

Sebastian Bergman, starring Rolf Lassgård PREVIEW

Published on 2012-05-21 13:45:38

Vanja Lithner (Moa Silen) and Sebastian Bergman (Rolf Lassgård). Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★ BBC4: starts Saturday, 26 May, 9pm Story: Sebastian Bergman, a leading Swedish criminal profiler, finds his career on the skids when he returns to his hometown, two weeks late for his mother's funeral, but just in time to help the local force to solve the brutal murder of a 15-year-old boy. Gosh, our Nordic neighbours do love an oddball hero. After The Killing's surly Sarah Lund and The Bridg [..]

Lewis series 6 with Kevin Whately PREVIEW

Published on 2012-05-15 09:50:47

Back on the case – Kevin Whately as Lewis. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½ ITV1: starts Wednesday, 16 May, 8pm Story: Botanist Liv Nash accidentally digs up the body of recently buried English Professor Murray Hawes. Lewis and Hathaway have to discover how a man fixated upon 'solving' the riddle of Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark' ended up in a shallow grave.

Prisoners of War, Radio 4's Bookclub, The Killing novel, Lewis to end?

Published on 2012-05-10 03:34:42

• Prisoners of War, the acclaimed Israeli series on which C4's Homeland was based, starts on Sky Arts tonight at 9.30pm. It's a nifty bit of scheduling by the channel, capitalising on the huge success of the Damian Lewis/Claire Danes thriller. What's the original like? It's subtitled, and, like watching Swedish/Danish series, has the freshness of seeing a drama from a totally alien television/national culture. But it is also tense, the opener focusing on the joy and dismay that the return of t [..]

Hit & Miss with Chloë Sevigny PREVIEW

Published on 2012-05-05 14:06:56

Mia makes her point to the landlord, John. Pics: BSkyB Rating: ★★★★ Sky Atlantic: starts June Story: Mia is a 'cleaner', or contract killer. She is also a transsexual. Her life is blown off course when she receives a letter from her former lover, Wendy, saying that Wendy is dying of cancer and that Mia has an 11-year-old son, Ryan. Hit & Miss is a blast of something edgy among the crush of mainstream TV crime dramas. If you want a hard-hitting series that's got balls – literally � [..]

Awake starring Jason Isaacs PREVIEW

Published on 2012-04-29 06:08:46

Dead reckoning for Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs). Pics:BSkyB Rating: ★★★½ Sky Atlantic: starts Friday, 4 May, 10pm Story: Detective Michael Britten is driving with his wife and son in the car when they plunge into a ravine. He survives the smash, but finds himself living in two separate realities, with his wife alive in one existence, and his 15-year-old son in the other. Awake is a crime drama mash-up with The Twilight Zone. Jason Isaacs, one of the new breed of Brits successfully [..]

Doors Open, The Killing becomes a novel, Hunted, Spies of Warsaw

Published on 2012-04-25 02:29:27

• News of interesting new dramas has been coming in almost daily announcements. Here's the poster for Hunted (formerly Nemesis), BBC1's new spy thriller series that was being touted at the MIPTV industry gathering in Cannes last week. This was commissioned just as Spooks was decommissioned last year, and it has some interesting operatives working on it. Frank Spotnitz, the guy who wrote around 50 episodes of The X Files, has scripted it, and Melissa George, the Aussie actress seen recently in [..]

Braquo series 2 PREVIEW

Published on 2012-04-22 16:20:00

Walter draws first, asks questions later. Pics: FXUK Rating: ★★★★ FX UK: from Sunday, 29 April, 10pm Story: Caplan is put on remand, Morlighem and Roxanne are reassigned to junior posts and Théo Vachewski is forced to kiss his badge goodbye...for good! But then Marceau calls on Caplan in his prison cell and offers him a deal. Braquo is very dark and a little demented. The cops here do not just cross the line, they throw themselves into the abyss. They play dirty, take drugs [..]

The Bridge series 1 PREVIEW

Published on 2012-04-13 03:04:37

Saga (Sofia Helin) and Martin (Kim Bodnia) and the Bridge. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★★½ BBC4, starts Saturday, 21 April, 9pm

Cops Shows and Thrillers Online – Lovefilm and Netflix

Published on 2012-04-03 13:19:22

We're no longer slaves to the TV schedules now that many of us have catch-up TV services and an ever-increasing amount of choice on subscription services such as LoveFilm and Netflix. Here's a quick survey of what's currently available for fans of TV crime shows and thrillers. Lovefilm Instant – 5000 movies and TV episodes Available on: internet-enabled TVs, PS3, Xbox 360, computers and iPads Price: £4.99 a month (introductory offer). 30-day free trial Check out online: LoveFilm Overview: A [..]

Silent Witness: Death Has No Dominion PREVIEW

Published on 2012-03-29 13:41:51

Harry (Tom Ward), Nikki (Emilia Fox) and Leo (William Gaminara). Pics BBC Rating: ★★½ BBC1, Sunday, 1 April, Monday, 2 April, 9pm Story: Leo is in turmoil when old friend Professor Lizzie Fraser commits suicide. It’s a double tragedy as Lizzie’s sister, a forensic scientist, was stabbed to death at a crime scene 10 years before. After Nikki attends her father’s memorial, she joins the team at the scene of a violent triple murder at a farmhouse. A corpse at a crime scene. One of th [..]

My Murder, DCI Banks, Justified 3

Published on 2012-03-26 02:40:50

Danny (Malachi Kirby), Samantha (Simona Zivkovska), Shakilus (John Boyega). Pic: BBC BBC3 is showing My Murder tonight (26 March, 9pm), a factual drama telling the true story of Shakilus Townsend, the 16-year-old boy lured to his death by 15-year-old Samantha Joseph. Shakilus was smitten with the girl, but she betrayed him to her ex-boyfriend and his gang. This hard-hitting, sad story was written by Levi David Addai and is produced by BBC Current Affairs. This story is given added power and poi [..]

One Night on BBC1 PREVIEW

Published on 2012-03-23 03:39:05

Ted (Douglas Hodge) on the edge. Pics: BBC Rating: ★★★½ BBC1, Monday 26 March to Friday 30 March, 10.35pm Story: Fitted kitchen salesman Ted has slogged away for years but is now under pressure and fears he may lost his job. Then he tangles with a group of mouthy girls from the nearby school and starts a train of events that end in tragedy. The opening episode of this four-parter about overlapping lives on a gang-infested council estate and the middle-class streets around it is unc [..]

Dexter series 6 with Michael C Hall

Published on 2012-03-17 07:59:05

Making a splash – Michael C Hall as Dexter Morgan, blood spatter expert with Miami Police. Pics: FX Rating: ★★★★ FX UK, from Friday, March 30, 10pm Story: Dexter attends a 20-year high school reunion – and, as he had hoped, he finds a potential victim in the school jock… Dexter shouldn't work as TV entertainment. A psycho who murders murderers? A morally blank protagonist? It's certainly a long time since Kojak and Cagney and Lacey ruled the airwaves. And here we are [..]

Jack the Ripper unmasked? Whitechapel 3 DVD and Justified 4

Published on 2012-03-07 10:07:58

• Jack the Ripper is unmasked – again – tonight on the Yesterday channel (Wednesday, 7 March, 9pm). Like the Who Killed Kennedy? industry, the Who Was Jack? phenomenon has supported a feverish army of theorists and scribes almost since the crimes were committed. In Prime Suspect: Jack the Ripper the story heads to Australia, where apparently there has been a new development. There lies the skull of Fredrick Bailey Deeming, Down Under's first serial killer. He was executed in 1892, four yea [..]

Scott & Bailey 2 – Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp PREVIEW

Published on 2012-03-06 09:45:51

Bailey (Suranne Jones) and Scott (Lesley Sharp). Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½ ITV1, starts Monday, 12 March, 9pm Story: The detective constables Scott and Bailey return to duty on Manchester's Major Incident Team. Rachel Bailey's estranged brother turns up on her doorstep. She takes him in with a warning that he must put his criminal past behind him. Janet Scott tells her husband, Adrian, to leave the house after he rows with her mother. Meanwhile, the badly burned body of a disab [..]

New books I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE, TV NOIR, FLESH AND BLOOD

Published on 2012-02-24 13:02:24

Something for weekend – two fresh new crime novels and a history of TV noir to keep you busy between crime series. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio De Giovanni This is published by Hersilia Press, the small UK outfit that specialises in translating fine Italian crime novels into English. They've come up with a really atmospheric story here, set in 1930s Naples where the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is investigating the murder of a wonderful tenor at the opera house. Of course, ma [..]

Murdoch Mysteries series 5 PREVIEW

Published on 2012-02-23 12:40:20

Murdoch of the Klondike – with Jack London. (Pics: Alibi) Rating: ★★★½ Alibi, Tuesdays from 28 February, 9pm Story: Murdoch has left the Toronto police behind after being suspended and is prospecting for gold in the Canadian Rockies. He is heartbroken and feels guilty over a case he mishandled. But then he meets a woman who is suspected of murder… This is a quirky series – CSI meets a Victorian Toronto populated by British soap actors. Not only is it set in the past but it is a [..]

Foyle's War returns 2013

Published on 2012-02-23 04:19:24

'It’s great to be wanted and a pleasure to be back,' says actor Michael Kitchen, as ITV announces the return of Foyle's War in 2013. The setting for the much-loved period detective drama will shift from the war years to 1946-47, with Foyle in a new role of Senior Intelligence Officer on the trail of various traitors. The three stories – two written by author Anthony Horowitz, one by David Kane – will include Foyle tracking down atomic spies and a true tale of government corruption. 'I have [..]

Sheridan Smith in Mrs Biggs, Marton Csokas as Falcon

Published on 2012-02-20 13:11:42

Danny Mays, Charmian and Sheridan Smith. Pic: ITV Mrs Biggs, ITV1 • Sheridan Smith has been cast as Charmian Biggs in ITV1's new five-parter Mrs Biggs, about the wife of train robber Ronnie. Danny Mays will play the lad with a criminal record who wooed her – where else! – on a train. The couple struggled to stay together when her family did not like Biggs, and the tough times continued when Ronnie got involved in 1963's Great Train Robbery. He became a fugitive in Australia with Charmia [..]

Sherlock Complete Series 1 & 2 – Blu-ray Review

Published on 2012-02-17 07:02:32

Sherlock Complete Series 1 & 2 Blu-ray Episodes ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★ Even on a second and third viewing, these episodes of 21st-century Holmes still fizz with wit and invention. Seeing them again rams home how good the cast and the adaptations are. Benedict Cumberbatch as the 'high-functioning sociopath' is a superb bit of casting, while Martin Freeman's wonderful comic asides and reactions sum up perfectly the audience's response to the consulting detective's outrageous beh [..]

Law & Order: UK – FINALE OF THE WEEK

Published on 2012-02-17 04:53:57

Law & out of order – Sam gets a bit too close to victim Lucy. Pics: ITV The last series ended with the shooting of Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber). This Friday series six of Law & Order: UK concludes with another highly charged story (again written by Emila di Girolamo) in which Devlin's replacement, DS Sam Casey (Paul Nicholls) gets a little too involved with the victim of what could be a serial attacker. A police forensics technician is stabbed to death in her home. When the same attacker app [..]

Hustle – the final con

Published on 2012-02-17 04:50:29

Tonight is the final scam for Mickey Bricks and the gang. The familiar face of former team member Stacie Monroe – aka actress Jaime Murray – is back in the frame for what she calls 'the biggest con they've ever done, the con to end all cons. It’s been five years since I was last on the show and within five minutes they were teasing me as if it was yesterday. They’ve known me since I was 24 and so treat me like a little kid, which I love! Matt Di Angelo is so funny and cheeky, he’s s [..]

Homeland, Damian Lewis, Claire Danes PREVIEW

Published on 2012-02-16 05:51:57

Brody (Damian Leiws) is damaged by his time in captivity. Pics: C4 Rating: ★★★★ Channel 4 Week starting 18 Feb day and time to be announced Story: Sgt Nicholas Brody has been released after eight years of captivity in a terrorist cellar in Afghanistan. He arrives home traumatised but to a hero's welcome. However, CIA operative Carrie Mathison is suspicious. She has information that a US prisoner has been 'turned', and despite not having the authority, she wants to keep Bro [..]

Awake with Jason Isaacs – Sneak Peek

Published on 2012-02-15 08:17:08

Awake is a fantasy crime series premiering on NBC in the States on 1 March. It stars Jason Isaacs as a detective stuck between two realities who ends up leading a double life, and who soon discovers links between the twin worlds he inhabits. Boringly, Jason Isaacs is well-known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, when he has notched up exciting performances in series such as Brotherhood and the Beeb's Case Histories. Happily, Case Histories – based on Kate Atkinson's offbeat c [..]

Those Who Kill, Laura Bach PREVIEW

Published on 2012-02-10 10:24:00

Laura Bach as Katrine Ries Jensen and Jakob Cedergren as Thomas Schaeffer. Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½ ITV3, starts Thursday, 23 February, 10pm Story: Deputy superintendent Katrine Ries Jensen is put in charge of her first big case – the discovery of the body of a Polish prostitute in the woods. She recruits forensic psychiatrist Thomas Schaeffer to assist her, and together they soon discover another four bodies buried nearby… Comparisons between Those Who Kill and The Killing are ine [..]

Inspector Montalbano NEW SERIES OF THE WEEK

Published on 2012-02-10 04:42:32

• BBC Four's Saturday night slot at 9pm, recently the preserve of noirish Scandi dramas such as Borgen and The Killing, lets in some Sicilian sunshine this weekend with a whole 10-part series of Inspector Montalbano. The stories are based on the wonderful novels by Andrea Camilleri and, while dealing with some dirty crimes, are lighter than the northern European fare. Readers will recognise the bungling Catarella, Salvo Montalbano's seaside home and his tricky relationship with Livia – to wh [..]

Kidnap and Ransom 2, Trevor Eve PREVIEW

Published on 2012-02-09 09:56:58

Armed with his three mobiles – Dominic King (Trevor Eve). Pics: ITV Rating: ★★★½ ITV1, starts Thursday, 23 February, 9pm Story: Srinagar, Kashmir. Dominic King is negotiating the release of a British Asian family kidnapped while visiting their son, Mahavir. As the handover is completed, the police turn up unexpectedly and a shoot-out ensues. The kidnappers (Anwar and Leela) get away with Mahavir and in their panic they board a tourist bus, taking all the passengers hostage… Deal [..]

Luck – Dustin Hoffman PREVIEW

Published on 2012-02-03 13:42:34

Rating: ★★★★½ Sky Atlantic, February It's HBO, written by Deadwood creator David Milch, directed by Michael Mann and stars Dustin Hoffman. This tale of the racetrack and revenge is as close to a dead cert as you can get. So, is Luck as good as the formbook suggests? While the opener is sprawling and low on action from Hoffman's story as Ace Bernstein, the mover and shaker just released from prison, it is a great-looking episode full of dodgy characters and rich storylines. It's also [..]

Inside Men starring Steven Mackintosh PREVIEW

Published on 2012-01-28 08:33:00

Blag of nerves – honest John (Steven Mackintosh) steps up. Pic: BBC Rating: ★★★★ BBC1, starts Thursday, 2 February, 9pm Story: John Coniston manages a highly secure cash counting house. One day he finds himself in the middle of a terrifying, bloody armed robbery. Flash back to nine months earlier and John is confronting two employees he suspects to siphoning off £50,000. They expect boring, playsafe John to call the cops, but John offers them a way out… Television is so obsessed [..]

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