Manhunt

I love British crime series and this was as good as anyone I've seen. Martin played the lead role and was a fantastic, with the close support roles equally as good. Watched it all in one sitting, three episodes was perfect for telling this story.

I appreciated the ordinary storytelling style, free of twists and tricks that commonly plague other detective shows. Sometimes you just want to watch the story without complications.

Martin Clunes can be regal at times. He's tall and slim and carries himself well. Manhunt is perfect for him. Mild-mannered yet intelligent, focused and commanding, he plays the SIO in this highly detailed study of an actual police investigation. The show's best feature is how it ramps up the excitement as the show progresses, so bear with the slow pace of the first episode, as this is an easily binged watch and you'll love the conclusion. Manhunt also neatly sidesteps the often common drag to such stories, in that we have to bear witness to detective's private life, by the simple fact that his wife is involved in a similar case from a different point of view. A lot of work went into both the real investigation and the dramatisation, and it shows. Manhunt is a great reward.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In 2004, the body of a young woman found on Twickenham Common in London was the catalyst for a major, nationwide investigation to find her killer. This true life dramatization depicts the inquiry, led by DCI Colin Sutton (Martin Clunes), who is assigned as the Chief Investigating Officer on what will prove to be the case of his career. His relentless, thorough determination to track down the killer causes him to link the case to two other unsolved murders, which bear striking similarities.

Early into the new year, and we've certainly been treated to a barrage of interesting, original productions on the terrestrial TV channels, including this ITV drama, about the hunt for serial killer Levi Bellfield. Although not produced with any direct consultation with the victim's families, it appears to play out with a convincing degree of accuracy, and sensitivity for the feelings of those affected. It also captures the obligatory 'mood' of the serial killer drama perfectly, creating a bleak, drained backdrop for the events to convey themselves in.

Although he may feel typecast by some in comedies like Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly, Clunes is perfectly capable of handling more serious, dramatic roles, of which this is ample proof. One of those actors who's always had to prove himself, here he carries the lead role with a fine amount of charisma and depth, as a man whose devotion to his work and achieving a result even comes at the expense of his home life, causing his marriage and relationship with his daughter to suffer, and even pulling out of a family holiday to Italy to be at a family wedding in order to chase up a new lead. It's a telling revelation of the sacrifices some must make to punish the guilty and keep us safe.

Overall, an absorbing and gripping dramatization of the crimes of one of the more recent serial killers, which respectfully never forgets the true to life nature of its subject matter and end up trivialising the crimes in any way. ****

The true story of a murder investigation that ultimately resulted in the capture of a notorious serial killer. There's no tortured detective with a single sidekick who catch the bad guy by relating evidence to opera/books/fishing/poetry 17th century mousetraps/autism but just proper police work. It's very well done.