The Interceptor

I'm probably one of the few who have watched this all the way through.

The first episode is an absolute abomination. Every cliche available got a run. All this so he can get a job in a "secret" crime fighting cell with person of interest type setup. Which apparently consists of his mum and dad in a gym. Or something.

We then get eight episodes with the usual everybody has a secret or are hiding something.

Once the setup is established the middle episodes are mostly watchable if you're happy enough to accept really low standards. I'd go so far as to suggest they may even be approaching mediocre.

The final episode sets up the possibility of a second season. But is so awful that it only manages to seal the fate of certain cancellation. Which it apparently did.

Well, we recorded this as we would otherwise have missed the first two episodes. And then, seeing the poor reviews it had, I thought about deleting it....

One evening last week we decided to watch episode 1. Seven nights of one-episode-a-night later we've finished it and all I can say is I am so glad I didn't press the delete button.

So what if it's a rip-off of an older programme? There's scarcely a decent show these days which isn't. At least it's one where I feel I don't need a Mensa-type IQ to understand the convoluted plot....and it's British. And above all it is very well acted particularly in respect of the two main characters....Ash and Roach....which is as it should be. Trevor Eve in particular is superbly cast as the villain.

As I say....very enjoyable!

Channeling his inner Luther via many an EastEnders grimace ,our hero sets out to cock up the best laid plans. Procedurally unconvincing,overacted and not a patch on most US dramas. Fights were staged with the brio of The Chuckle Brothers. Computer usage was way beyond capabilities and a mere plot device. Bad guys not bad enough Good guys implausible. This show does not warrant the 10 lines of text that IMDb insists that I write. I hope that it gets better but I have seen too many British shows that have been stymied by bad writing , poor effects and stilted acting to remain convinced.As other reviewers will point out the protagonist comes across as a petulant toddler with control difficulties. Indulged by his all new "Top Secret" task force bosses he still manages to stuff it up. I am not very confident in this shows future.

This series may become worth watching and I found it OK for a first episode. The basic idea is interesting and it may develop well.

The acting of the lead character isn't of the best quality as his petulant storming around is more akin to a 13-14 year old having a paddy than a professional detective/ customs officer.

However, the suggestion of another reviewer that the IT abilities are 'way beyond capabilities' is farcical. They are speaking without any knowledge. I worked in an IT surveillance role years ago and reality was beyond those 'capabilities' many years ago.

So back to the series. Directing is poor and lets unrealistic acting rule. The characters may develop well as may the story lines.

I would suggest that you watch it and give it a chance. It is entertaining.

The first of a new 8 part BBC crime-drama series centring on a young, idealistic but ultimately frustrated field-based HM Customs Officer who burns his bridges with his employer when a drugs bust goes wrong, severely injuring his partner and best mate. Nevertheless, he soon finds himself enlisted into a somewhat shadowy parallel Drugs Intelligence Agency who work covertly, it would appear sometimes inside, sometimes outside the law, with their own "Snoopers Charter" to listen in on any and apparently every phone-call made in the UK.

Once you get past the awful series title which makes it sound like some Will Smith-type action-fest, I quite enjoyed it. The series continuity will undoubtedly come from the Unit's pursuit of the drug world's Mr Big, played by Trevor Eve, but I anticipate several time-honoured moral dilemmas, shoot-outs and stake-outs, not to mention family dramas as our talented but headstrong hero gets out there in the job he was made for.

Resemblances to any other BBC show featuring a black male lead with Holmes-like deductive skills, total dedication to the job and Duracell-type energy and stamina are probably coincidental, but putting the Lutheran connection to one side, this could be the Beeb's best crime series since then.

O.T. Fagbenle as the lead Ash might lack Idris Elba's magnetism but he's believable from the start and should improve with increased familiarity, and is well supported by a supporting cast, which, Eve apart, appears to lack a big name, not that I'm complaining. With its topical story-lines and persuasive mixture of street-smarts and road chases this looks like it could be one to watch.