Granite Harbour

Like many Scots I had high hopes of Granite Harbour, only to have my expectations dashed within the first few minutes. To say the script is creaky is an understatement - it is a prime example of how a lack of continuous re-writing at the pre-production stage results in a disaster. This is certainly not helped by a narrative which is wholly unoriginal, and a bunch of lead actors who are clearly out of their depth. It takes an old pro like Dawn Steel (Monarch of the Glen) to show that you can indeed polish the odd t**d if you are experienced enough. Most of the cast here are not, and therefore cannot wring any conviction out of dud dialogue. It was like watching painting by numbers. On the plus side it was pleasant enough to see Aberdeen, shot both on the ground and from the air. But good technicals are not going to save this car crash. In rating it 4 out of 10 I'm being generous; it could have been so much better.

DC Davis Lindo arrives in Aberdeen with the hope of becoming a Detective, he is instantly caught up in the murder of a businessman.

This was a major disappointment, I was looking forward to this quite a lot, but ten minutes into episode one, its major flaws were exposed.

It reminded me of The Sister Boniface Mysteries, a cop arrives in town from The Caribbean, and had to adjust to life in The UK, it also felt like a cosy afternoon drama, offering zero grit. Unfortunately whereas most afternoon shows offer light entertaining, and a little humour, this lacked any charm, it was impossible to engage.

The story is wafer thin, by episode two, my focus had gone, and I was struggling to associate who, what and why, it was just so dull.

Worst of all, the acting, despite some experienced, capable names, the acting was shocking. The characters were like cardboard cutouts, none of them, not even Gary Lewis offered anything. The chip on Mallick's shoulder can be seen from Bolivia.

A major disappointment, they got this badly wrong, 3/10.

Edit as of 2024.

Series 2, a total game changer, I stand by my 3/10 review for the first series, and I don't think it would be right for me to change it, but the second series is worlds apart, it's an 8/10 in my book, superior acting, writing, tense and exciting, it just goes to show that sometimes shows need time to develop.

Fairly contrived and sadly indicative off the "inclusive" BBC of recent times but there is enough to watch if you get past the box ticking casting etc.

Tha acting on the whole is pretty pedestrian and the lead character is more contrived than necessary. A better development of his back story would have made the story stronger but as this looks for all the world like a work in progress there is plenty of time for that in series 2?!

If, like me you are a fan of detective/ police series it's watchable but far from great. A couple of the actors make it a hard watch at some points but I think there is potential if the BBC up the budget and look at the cast for any further series.

Give it a go if there's nothing else to watch if only for the Scottish scenery. OK.

Another reviewer likened this program to a paint-by-numbers version of art. That is just how I experience it. There is some potential for the lead character and his cultural and family issues to become interesting, but they don't. There is no real tension or depth...to anything. No life in any of the secondary characters; all are predictable types, and mostly poor acting. Then there are the central crime plots: unoriginal, drawn out, and uninteresting to solve. Predictable dialogue and scenarios. No feel for the city either, an underused element of an overall dull series. Wondering if it's written by AI.

Seldom have I seen such a contrived plot, leaden script and wooden acting. It has the feel of a pilot for yet another formulaic crime series. It feels like an inverted " Death In Paradise " where the quirky Caribbean detective comes to Britain to teach the inept Scots how to do their jobs. The characters are as unbelievable as they are predictable. The conflicts between the characters are straight out of the DIY, Distance Learning writing manual : lesson one.

This is clearly a low budget affair but to its credit, it has given employment opportunities to a mix of apprentice actors. No second series PLEASE!