The Jetty, BBC One review - lowlife in a Northern town

★★ THE JETTY, BBC ONE Lowlife in a Northern town

Jenna Coleman stars in a dark tale of abuse and exploitation

Jenna Coleman seems to pick her roles with care, whether it’s Queen Victoria, the girlfriend of mass murderer Charles Sobhraj in The Serpent, or “occult detective” Johanna Constantine in The Sandman, but her antennae may have been a bit awry when she climbed aboard this one.

The Jetty is long on atmosphere and scenery but short on plausibility, and hammers away at its themes of abused women and abusive men so relentlessly that there’s not much room for anything else.

The Turkish Detective, BBC Two review - a bad business in the Bosphorus

★★ THE TURKISH DETECTIVE, BBC TWO A bad business in the Bosphorus

Barbara Nadel's Inspector Ikmen novels reach the screen

Any show making its debut in the midst of Wimbledon and the Euro-football, plus a spectacular performance by Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone, is likely to be gasping for air, and BBC Two’s ditzy new cop series didn’t so much charge out of the blocks as trip over them. Masterminded by Ben Schiffer, the eight-part series is based on Barbara Nadel’s Inspector Ikmen novels, which are much loved by their readers.

Strike: An Uncivil War review - shame of the nation

★★★★★ STRIKE: AN UNCIVIL WAR How paramilitary policing broke the miners' spirit

How paramilitary policing broke the miners' spirit at Orgreave in 1984

Forty years later, they have haggard faces, grey hair if any, and sorrowful expressions tinged with incredulity at the outrages perpetrated against them. At one point, the burliest of them cries. One who struggled with drink and drugs says four of his colleagues committed suicide.

Rebus, BBC One review - revival of Ian Rankin's Scottish 'tec hits the jackpot

★★★★ REBUS, BBC ONE Revival of Ian Rankin's Scottish 'tec hits the jackpot

Richard Rankin makes a compelling debut as the unorthodox Edinburgh cop

The previous incarnation of Ian Rankin’s Scottish detective on ITV starred, in their contrasting styles, John Hannah and Ken Stott. For this Rebus redux, arriving nearly 25 years after the original first series began, screenwriter Gregory Burke has reworked the character as a younger Detective Sergeant, drawing on the spirit of Rankin’s original novels but with the author’s blessing to take the character somewhere new.

Othello, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse review - 21st century interpretation delivers food for thought

★★ OTHELLO, SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE An Othello for our times, our city

An Othello for our times, our city

Detective Chief Inspector Othello leads a quasi-paramilitary team of Metropolitan Police officers investigating gang activity in Docklands. With a chequered past now behind him, he has reformed and has the respect of both the team he leads and his superior officers. But his secret marriage to Commander Brabantio’s daughter, Desdemona, unleashes a stream of racist invective from her father, triggering memories of abuse that are never far from the surface.

Criminal Record, Apple TV+ review - law and disorder in Hackney

★★★★ CRIMINAL RECORD, APPLE TV+ Law and disorder in Hackney

Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi explore the dark side of policing

It’s not easy to find a new way to package a drama about that perennially popular topic, the dark side of policing, but Criminal Record at least gets its ducks in a row with some strong writing by Paul Rutman and a strength-in-depth cast.

Blood Coast, Netflix review - mayhem in Marseille

Captain Benamar and his team battle ultra-violent drug cartels

The original title of this French crime drama was Pax Massilia, a reference to the classical roots of its setting in what is now known as Marseille. Dating back to the 6th Century BC, it’s supposedly the oldest city in France. An atmospheric mix of architectural styles, dramatic views, a Mediterranean climate and multiple ethnicities, it makes the perfect stage for this fast-paced and sometimes horrifically violent thriller.

Shetland, Series 8, BBC One review - same place but a different programme

DI Ruth Calder faces an uphill struggle to replace DI Jimmy Perez

The question they’re all asking is, can Shetland survive the loss of Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez? After all, it was Henshall’s shrewd and quietly anguished performance which gave the show much of its allure. And now there’s no Mark Bonnar either, who could always be relied on to add a soupçon of angst.