The Interceptor, TV review: It's EastEnders on an adrenalin rush but this contrived cop show lacks heart
The BBC's watchable but predictable prime-time cop drama starred O-T Fagbenle as a custom official who wanted to get to the "serious crims"
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Imagine an episode of EastEnders with a seriously ramped-up special-effects budget and a focus on dodgy dealing in the pubs, garages and caffs of Walford. That would go some way to describing the first episode of The Interceptor, BBC's new watchable but predictable prime-time cop drama.
It starred Ash (O-T Fagbenle) as a custom official who had grown tired of small fry and wanted to get to the "serious crims". He was head-hunted by the UNIT, a frankly confusing organisation housed in what looked like an abandoned Seventies comprehensive. There, seeming unanswerable to the police, they tapped hundreds of phone lines a day in an effort to scalp the head honchos.
Ash was one of those coppers, who "takes crime personally". He had axes to grind all over the place; his troubled past, his buddy Tom (Robert Lansdale) getting mangled in a car chase; his wife (EastEnders Jo Joyner) and children to protect. There was lots of staring into the middle distance looking like he'd smelled something nasty.
Creator Tony Saint has said that like The Sweeney and Kojak before it, The Interceptor's urban setting is an integral part of its identity. This was a London show. We got the Underground, cash-and-carrys, greasy spoons and speedways and money printing operations fronting as launderettes, none of which would have looked out of place in an episode of Easties or indeed Seventies hit, The Professionals, which it's inspired by. There was even Trevor Eve as a baddie who made an appearance in a slick-looking motor at the end.
Police shows are big hitters for the BBC and I suspect The Interceptor will be no different. The difference for me is, the ones that have been really memorable in recent years such as Happy Valley, have more of a heart. It's the human stories you remember, long after the fire is extinguished.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments