Endeavour: The Final Episode, ITV1 review - the final bow for Oxford's finest

The curtain falls on a milestone in TV detection

Endeavour first landed way back in 2012, and suddenly here we are, bidding it a final farewell after the end of its ninth series. Not everybody learned to love Shaun Evans as the pre-John Thaw Inspector Morse, but some of us may even have come to like the new boy better.

The Gold, BBC One review - gripping dramatisation of the 1983 Brink's-Mat bullion robbery

★★★★★ THE GOLD, BBC ONE Gripping dramatisation of the 1983 Brink's-Mat bullion robbery

You can't always tell the difference between the police and the thieves

The raid on the Brink’s-Mat warehouse at Heathrow in November 1983 has entered the folklore of British crime and criminology. The gang of six armed robbers had expected to find £3m in cash, but instead got away with £26m worth of gold bullion. The story of what happened to the loot, the thieves and their associates remains at least partially swathed in mystery to this day.

Happy Valley, Series 3, BBC One review - tension mounts as the Yorkshire crime drama approaches its conclusion

★ HAPPY VALLEY, SERIES 3, BBC ONE Sally Wainwright's masterpiece shows the competition a clean pair of heels

Sally Wainwright's masterpiece shows the competition a clean pair of heels

In this glittering era of global streaming, the viewer is constantly bombarded with the latest and most sensational TV drama from South Korea, Australia, Denmark, California etcetera. But Huddersfield’s own Sally Wainwright continues to show most of the competition a clean pair of heels.

Karen Pirie, ITV review - cold case mystery drags itself across the finish line

★★★ KAREN PIRIE, ITV Val McDermid cold case mystery drags itself across the finish line

Val McDermid adaptation is solid but unspectacular

Although plaudits have been rolling in for Lauren Lyle’s smart and sparky portrayal of the titular detective in Karen Pirie (ITV), getting to the end of the third and final episode felt like a long slog.

The Darkest Part of the Night, Kiln Theatre - issues-led drama has its heart in the right place

★★★ THE DARKEST PART OF THE NIGHT, KILN Issues-led drama has its heart in the right place

The didactic vies with the dramatic in Zodwa Nyoni's incident-packed new play

Music plays a big part in the life of Dwight, an 11-year-old black lad growing up in early 80s Leeds. He doesn't fit in at school, bullied because he is "slow", and he doesn't fit in outside school, would-be friends losing patience with him.

But he does fit in at home, loved unequivocally by a protective mother, somewhat enviously by a bickering sister, and rather reluctantly by a preoccupied father. Like the records he plays on the gramophone, his life is about to spin – and he'll have to hold on to the warmth of family love in a cold world.

Suspect, Channel 4 review - a stylised remake of a Danish psychological drama

★★★ SUSPECT, CHANNEL 4 James Nesbitt stars in stylised remake of a Danish psychological drama

James Nesbitt returns as another troubled policeman with a dark back-story (and matching eyebrows)

Suspect has a simple premise: a detective goes on a routine visit to a mortuary where an unidentified young woman has been taken after being found hanged. Suicide is the initial judgment: the cop, Danny Frater (James Nesbitt), grills the pathologist (Joely Richardson, pictured below) about the case and starts to leave. Then he pauses, policing instincts a-twitch, and uncovers the body’s head.

We Own This City, Sky Atlantic review - 'The Wire' creator David Simon is back on the Baltimore beat

★★★ WE OWN THIS CITY, SKY ATLANTIC 'The Wire' creator David Simon is back on the Baltimore beat with a gruelling saga of institutionalised police corruption

Gruelling saga of institutionalised police corruption

It has been 14 years since The Wire, David Simon’s labyrinthine epic about crime and policing in Baltimore, reached the end of the line. Yet it seems he couldn’t let it lie, because he’s back on the Baltimore beat with We Own This City (made by HBO, showing on Sky Atlantic). This time, the series is based on the eponymous non-fiction book by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton, with crime novelist George Pelecanos sharing the “Creator” credit with Simon.

DI Ray, ITV review - Parminder Nagra battles killer gangs and cultural stereotypes

★★★ DI RAY, ITV Parminder Nagra battles killer gangs and cultural stereotypes

Cops afflicted by sexism, racism and box-ticking mediocrity

Somehow or other, fictional representations of the police have become an off-the-cuff index of changing times and evolving values. Dixon of Dock Green’s cops were stern father figures who knew right from wrong and considered it their duty to give villains a clip round the ear. The Sweeney weren’t quite so sure about right and wrong but gave everybody a good kicking anyway, while risking a bollocking from the boss for their blatant rule-bending.

Blu-ray: Deep Cover

★★ DEEP COVER Early '90s American action movie takes on drug trade & police racism

Early '90s American action movie takes on the drug trade and racism within the police

Bill Duke’s 1992 thriller Deep Cover receives the Criterion restoration treatment, and certainly the neon noir lighting looks luscious and fresh. It’s a shame the screenplay, the directing, and most of the acting hasn’t stood the test of time.