The Control Room, BBC One review - twisty thriller set in an ultra-noir Glasgow

★★★ THE CONTROL ROOM, BBC ONE Twisty thriller set in an ultra-noir Glasgow

A mysterious woman caller turns an ambulance dispatcher's life inside out

The BBC publicity department doesn’t want reviewers to reveal too much about this three-parter in advance, so the description of its content here may seem skimpy. If you watch this mini-series, you will sort of understand why – its plot relies on coincidences (or are they?) and unexpected twists (or just implausible ones?), flashbacks to past traumas (are these reliable?) and nightmarish scenes (real or imagined?)

Jenny Hval: Girls Against God review - a sticky dance through space and time

★★★★ JENNY HVAL: GIRLS AGAINST GOD A sticky dance through space and time

A surreal witches' flight through southern Norway

Jenny Hval’s Girls Against God covers every angsty young woman’s favourite subjects. Witchcraft, heavy metal, viscera, and hatred. It’s a book in the grand tradition of Kathy Acker and women surrealists everywhere, dancing through space and time into different dimensions.

The Adulterer, Channel 4 review - atmospheric, addictive and bingeworthy

★★★★★ THE ADULTERER, CHANNEL 4 Atmospheric, addictive and bingeworthy

This top-quality Dutch series from 2011-15 deserved to be seen sooner

It has taken a good half decade for the Dutch series Overspel (The Adulterer) to make it on to TV screens in the UK. Its 32 episodes were made in 2011-2015, but the third and final series is only now being broadcast on Channel 4’s Walter Presents.

Screenwriter Adam Price on 'Ride Upon the Storm' - 'If we discuss faith, we will possibly not kill each other'

SCREENWRITER ADAM PRICE His new drama 'Ride Upon the Storm' stars Lars Mikkelsen as a flawed priest battling his demons

Lars Mikkelsen stars in new Channel 4 drama Ride Upon the Storm about a flawed priest battling his many demons

Apparently in Denmark they pronounce screenwriter Adam Price’s surname as “Preece”, but its English-looking spelling stems from the fact that his ancestors moved from London to Denmark in the 18th century.

The Girl in the Spider's Web review - Claire Foy leathers up

★★★ THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB Claire Foy leathers up

From Lilibet to Lisbeth, the star of The Crown plays the queen of Nordic noir

The enthronement of Claire Foy has been quite a spectacle. Perhaps some of Her Majesty’s mystique has rubbed off, as she is now entering that territory known to few young actors, where you’ll happily pay to see her in anything. Should that policy extend to her newest incarnation?

Keeping Faith, BBC One review - this summer's watercooler drama

★★★★★ KEEPING FAITH This summer's watercooler drama

New BBC Wales drama promises to grip from opening episode

How well do you know the person you love? Are they someone completely different when you’re not around? This is the central question Eve Myles (main picture) has to answer in the BBC’s latest mystery drama. Faced with the sudden disappearance of her seemingly lovely husband, she must piece together where he’s gone and what she’s been missing.

The Bridge, BBC Two, series 4 review - Scandi saga is darker than ever

★★★★ THE BRIDGE, SERIES 4, BBC TWO Saga Norén is back for one last grisly case

Saga Norén is back for one last grisly case

In the 1990s, which brought us Morse, Fitz and Jane Tennison, an idea took root that all television detectives must be mavericks. They needed to be moody, dysfunctional, addictive, a bit of an unsolved riddle. These British sleuths were all variations on a glum theme but the scriptwriters knew the limits. Make them suffer, but don’t put them through hell.

Marcella, Series 2, ITV review - more twisted tales of detection

★★★ MARCELLA, SERIES 2 Into darkness with Anna Friel's highly unstable DS Backland

Into darkness with Anna Friel's highly unstable DS Backland

Marcella’s writer Hans Rosenfeldt was the creator of Scandi classic TV drama The Bridge, the one that made detectives with emotional disorders the flavour du jour, but you do have to wonder what kind of police force would continue to employ DS Marcella Backland (Anna Friel). On a good day she’s merely rude, argumentative, whiny and confrontational.

Rebecka Martinsson: Arctic Murders, More4 review - Swedish sleuth is a cold case

★★★ REBECKA MARTINSSON: ARCTIC MURDERS, MORE4 Crime drama from the far north looks good but doesn't quite grip

Crime drama from the far north looks good but doesn't quite grip

Sara Lund and Saga Norén have a lot to answer for. Their adventures in the murk of murder as they grapple with their own dysfunctional psychology entranced audiences who don’t speak a scrap of Danish or Swedish. The search has since gone on for other gripping instances of Nordic noir. How long can it be before we accept that The Killing and The Bridge both had ingredients that aren’t easily reassembled?