Bancroft

The series is unusual in that you are given the bad guys/gals fairly early on so no surprises; some of them are cops & solid citizens, and some are just plain bad. You're even given frequent flashbacks to fill in the 27 yr old crime scene that dominates the script so you just have to sit back & see how "good" wins out at the end. Problem is, in resolving this cold case crime we are given too many personality & cop mistakes & improbabilites - all scripted to keep the series going. So, if you don't mind the uncomfortable feeling of being left hanging while the baddies seemingly come out ahead, it's worth a watch.

I had to review this after reading such a negative opinion. I watched the first episode with 4 other friends and we were all totally hooked. So much so that we continued to follow through, guessing only at the outcome. None of us predicted the final twists and that was what held our interest. The series was refreshingly different and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Good strong acting.

I rated the 1st series of this a 5, but there is a night and day difference in the quality between the 2 seasons. I'm not sure the reason, but gone are the dodgy accents, the awfully miss-cast actors and actresses have been replaced by quality - Charlotte Hope in particular - that suit the role that's been written for them, and Sarah Parish has evolved brilliantly into the role - helped by a plot that stops trying to turn her into something she cannot be but instead allows her to fit into the role and show off her abilities.

The story Is moodily brilliant - shocking and gripping. It's all incredibly well done. There's still holes - it's not the best thing I've ever seen - Joe leaves a lot to be desired and some of Bancroft's antics remain too far from police policy to ever be deemed possible - but it's entirely watchable and enjoyable.

The biggest problem this show will have is that the first series is needed to be watched to fully understand the background of the story - and the first series is a complete and utter car crash. There will be a lot of people that will give up a long time before they've given the second series a chance. Which would be a real shame.

I decided to watch this after reading a very negative review from someone who seems to have a hangup about women playing lead parts in crime series. Personally I found the first episode excellent - good story line, strong characters, highly competent acting, what's not to like?

Although the last episode became increasingly predictable, overall a very enjoyable series. Good acting and plot - well above average. How some of those reality programmes get prime time on the main ITV channel over this is beyond me.