Btw, did you see Bodyguard? Also from Jed Mercurio of LoD. Broadchurch season 1 was excellent.

I remember liking Silent witness when Amanda Burton was in the lead role. It has a million seasons though and not sure what the quality was like after her departure.

Prime suspect with Helen Mirren.

Foyle's war is set during WWII.

Cadfael is set during the middle ages (more mystery than procedural).

I enjoyed The stranger also. Again more mystery than procedural.

Seen the Bodyguard, I'll watch anything if it has Keeley Hawes. Broadchurch not yet.

Cadfael sounds interesting! What I really need is something like that or Foyle's War but set during the English Civil Wars, the historical period I can't stop reading about these days.

Should watch Prime Suspect, it's often mentioned in the same breath as the outstanding Robbie Coltrane vehicle Cracker.

Mystery is great, for me it's interchangeable with procedurals, either can do the job if the mood is right and it's not too stupid. Will give The Stranger a try, though there's something about this Coben's writing that rubs me the wrong way (the sentimentality maybe?). Someone told me the Korean show The Stranger that's also on Netflix is fantastic.

Thanks.

Started La Promesse, very good show.

For the ECW, I believe a very old show called By the Sword Divided is worth watching. I literally watched it when I was at school (so, say 45 years ago or more) and I think it's one of those BBC period dramas. If you haven't seen it, though it's a movie rather than a series, Richard Harris in Cromwell is tremendous viewing. Again, it's old, maybe 1960s/70s.

I tried Cracker and have to say I hated it with a passion. I also was surprised to find that after I thoroughly enjoyed Prime Suspect 1973, the prequel, I truly hated Prime Suspect, my main issue being that when they couldn't prove the guy did it he conveniently and for no good reason at all confessed. Now I know it's La Plante, but that is some damned lazy writing.

Silent Witness only got better as it went on. I've seen all seasons, and I have to say it stands out as one of the few shows where people - and I mean, main characters, top talent - are killed off, and I think this makes it very fresh for me. I'm just going to assume you've seen Hill Street Blues duh, and other than that in terms of police procedurals of course The Wire again duh but The District is pretty cool too (Craig T Nelson from Coach) and there are plenty of true-life dramas such as A Confession (Martin Freeman), Honour, Whitechapel Farm and Lucan, all worth a look.

Can't say I'm with you on Coben, though I've only seen The Five, and thoroughly enjoyed that.

Have you seen The Fall?

I also finished this the other day. I definitely have a new found respect for Kanye and his music, it’s a shame he is an absolute car crash of a man though.

Oh btw jadis, I watched state of play. It was good and Kelly Macdonald and her accent are top tier. I think the last plot twist lacked a proper build-up so it seemed a bit unrealistic, but apart from that it's a well-constructed story. I always like watching journalism in action and especially the emotional entanglements between the characters were well done

Cracker is one of my favorites. Gritty, bleak and so so well executed. The pilot was directed by Michael Winterbottom, one of the great directors of the generation who (like Danny Boyle in Morse) got his start in crime dramas. The actors are some of the best in the business (stunning guest performances from Robert Carlyle and Adrian Dunbar in addition to the regulars), the writing is sharp, the protagonist/antagonist highly intelligent and demon-ridden. It’s perf.

I guess my problem with Coben is the Netflixy feel of the shows. As though it was produced by AI… he’s a Jersey guy and the shows are set in Britain and France, sans any local flavor. Whereas Morse could only be set in Oxford, Cracker is a deeply Mancunian affair etc. And the dialogue is not exactly worthy of Le Carré (my gold standard is TTSS with Alec Guinness)

You’re spot on about the centrality of reporting, I think in that it’s the Blair era update of All The President’s Men. The twist we’ll agree to disagree on, I bought it hook line and sinker! Knew you would love KM! For me the milf wife is the eye candy. What a performance from Bill Nighy as the editor!

Wasn’t crazy about the first season, I thought even Scully looked a bit bored…

Never heard of By the Sword Divided, will check out.

Harris is a powerful Cromwell but Alec Guinness as Charles is something truly special

One of the things I was bored with in this film is how traditional the narrative is. King vs Parliament, Charles vs Cromwell, royalists and roundheads, Arminians vs the godly puritans etc. There was a lot more going on there, between the radical wing in Cromwell's army (who had to be violently put down and were seen by some as a threat even bigger than Catholics) and various radical sects preaching anarchy, who were emboldened by the chaos of war and the decline in the power and authority of the Church of England, and were seen as a threat to the already ravaged social fabric. And because the film touches on none of that, it ends up presenting Cromwell as far more radical and champion of the people than we know him to be (see the Putney Debates for example).

A film I find more compelling is Winstanley, about the Digger leader. Amazing monochrome cinematography as well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeLzc7s08ZU

Yeah I love Bill Nighy. He's always fantastic

The Science Guy?