Whitechapel

This is something a bit different from the usual police procedural and it works very well because of the stylish and stylised direction and some great acting. The different sides of policing are painted with a broad brush but are essentially true, from the squad-room boys' club to the top brass—all management-speak plus old boys' network. Anyone who works in a company, private or public, of any scale, has seen these in action even today!

Phil Davis is cast very much to type as the cynical, angry, working policeman but the twist here is that he is the one who makes major mistakes every time about the perpetrator of the crimes and the possible suspects.

Steve Pemberton manages to be creepy and sympathetic at the same time.

Rupert Penry-Jones' subtle and far-from-heroic presentation of the "useless" plastic fast-tracker is spot-on, as is his gradual realisation that he's out of his depth and is being cast adrift by his "puppetmasters". He's been brilliant at the slow transformation into a real investigator, going with his instincts instead of by the book. It's a very unshowy but intense and believable performance and one of his best to date. The premise is highly imaginative by its nature but the mix of factual background and stylised dramatisation is so effective because it exercises the imagination. So many people, on the net and round the water-cooler, are talking about this drama, who dunnit and how the main characters are going to pan out, whether successful or failed or shattered. That's the mark of a really successful piece of TV!

I was fortunate to pick up this program on my "free on-demand" cable program. I found it gritty and so different from the usual police drama with a cookie cutter plot.

Beginning with a Jack the Ripper copycat was a stroke of genius. The twists and turns kept me interested and involved in the drama. Two issues were going on: The new, obsessive-compulsive boss takes over and the detectives don't like it one bit. Plus the killings keep them on their feet and the focus is on thinking their way through the crime book of Jack the Ripper. Wonderful drama! I also like the character of the "ripperologist" who helps them out. I love the quirky personalities of the people involved and how they have to work together to find the real killer. Also a big surprise.

The second part about the Krays was a bit less interesting. I mean, how can you follow up after Jack the Ripper? But the drama was still there. I see that there will be another season in 2012. I sincerely hope they keep up the good work of tying in the historical element.

They could even have a copycat Henry the VIII! That would be very cool indeed.

I have watched the entire series, all 4 at least three times... This show really started out well, with a copycat Jack The Ripper storyline... Series 2 and 3 were also really good. This series really exemplifies what a gritty, thought provoking UK series is... it exemplifies what a series should be even in the States...

The only issue I have is that series 4 goes more paranormal than the previous 3 series... I believe that is what killed the show. I think if the writers stayed the course with investigating murders, and linking them to historical crimes... the show would still be on.

I will sadly miss seeing new episodes, and will have to watch only the 4 series that are available...

Great show!

I don't know why this show gets so much hate, but there's no way it's because of the actors. It's been a long time since I've watched anything of this standard. Sure, the show no doubt has its flaws, as all shows do. I've seen people complain about historical inaccuracies, and they're probably right. That doesn't spoil anything for me, though. I didn't expect a documentary. I loved the way the characters' relationships were portrayed, and they were all believable and heartwarming. I loved that British sense of humour from the very first episode and all through the series. I absolutely adored DI Chandler - he is, hands down, the most relatable character I have ever seen on TV. I don't suffer from OCD (I periodically have a very mild form of it), but I am autistic, and even though he isn't necessarily supposed to be, I see so many of my own traits in him. He is the sweetest and most adorable, socially awkward character I have ever seen, and Rupert Penry-Jones did an excellent job of portraying him. His issues are realistic, and I loved how Miles supported him instead of ridiculing him or just telling him to get help. I loved everything about this show, and the only thing I missed was a fifth season, because the fourth left a few things hanging.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said this was ITV at it's worst. I found the characters to be enjoyable, if somewhat predictable. I rather wish this was a prelude to a series as I would enjoy seeing the team after they had come together finally in the end. If this had been a longer series, say 6 episodes it would have been even better. They could done a lot more character development. I do admit that the last episode felt a bit rushed (which is the reason for my previous statement). Bring on more Rupert.... This was a different kind of character from his role in Spooks. A bit of stretching is always good for an actor :) how about someone from the working class next eh? :)