Criminal: UK
Criminal: UK | |
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Genre | Police procedural anthology series |
Created by |
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Written by | George Kay |
Directed by | Jim Field Smith |
Starring |
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Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 7 |
Production | |
Running time | 41–48 minutes |
Production company | Idiotlamp Productions |
Original release | |
Release | 20 September 2019 present | –
Related | |
Criminal: UK (or Criminal: United Kingdom) is a British police procedural anthology series created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf as the highly-trained members of a special interrogative division of the Metropolitan Police. Netflix released the first series of three episodes on 20 September 2019 and a second series of four episodes on 16 September 2020.[1]
It is part of Netflix's anthology series Criminal. The first series consisted of three episodes same as three other series with unrelated stories set in three countries and filmed in local languages: Criminal: France, Criminal: Spain, and Criminal: Germany .[2][3]
The second series, which consisted of four episodes, received two nominations at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Kunal Nayyar and Best Supporting Actress for Sophie Okonedo.[4]
Premise
The show is set within the confines of a police interrogation room (and its viewing quarters) where a specialised interrogative unit of the Metropolitan Police engage in intense games of psychological cat-and-mouse with their suspects to find the answers that they need to close the case.
Cast
Main cast
- Katherine Kelly – Detective Chief Inspector Natalie Hobbs, the head of the special interrogative unit.
- Lee Ingleby – Detective Inspector Tony Myerscough, Natalie's second-in-command and often the voice of reason, who nurses a secret crush on Natalie.
- Mark Stanley – Detective Constable Hugo Duffy, a talented but inexperienced interrogator with a hidden alcohol addiction.
- Rochenda Sandall – Detective Constable Vanessa Warren, an unambitious member of the team who prefers supporting background roles, as opposed to leading interviews.
- Shubham Saraf – Detective Constable Kyle Petit, the junior-most member of the unit, ostensibly hired for a secret training program.
- Nicholas Pinnock – Detective Inspector Paul Ottager (series 1), a former member of the unit (and brief sexual partner of Natalie) who has now returned with a new rank.
- Aymen Hamdouchi – Detective Sergeant Jamie Reiss (series 2), a new member of the unit, hired to replace Paul after his offscreen departure at the end of series 1.
Guest cast
- David Tennant – Edgar Fallon, a doctor, accused of rape and murder (episode: "Edgar")
- Kit Harington – Alex, a real estate sales manager, accused of rape (episode: "Alex")
- Hayley Atwell – Stacey Doyle, an aggressive petty criminal, accused of murder (episode: "Stacey")
- Kunal Nayyar – Sandeep Singh, a convicted killer, accused of an additional murder (episode: "Sandeep")
- Sophie Okonedo – Julia Bryce, the long-suffering wife of a convicted murderer (episode: "Julia")
- Sharon Horgan – Danielle Dunne, the head of a vigilante group targeting online pedophiles (episode: "Danielle")
- Youssef Kerkour – Jamal "Jay" Muthassin, a truck driver accused of aiding human smuggling (episode: "Jay")
- Lolita Chakrabarti – Anita Baines, Edgar's solicitor (episode: "Edgar")
- Mark Quartley – Jeremy Nicholson, Stacey's solicitor (episode: "Stacey")
- Kevin Eldon – Michael Walker, Jay's solicitor (episode: "Jay")
- Rakhee Thakrar – Nasreen Shah, Julia's solicitor (episode: "Julia")
- Amanda Drew – Alex's solicitor (episode: "Alex")
- Jyuddah Jaymes – Henry Regis, Danielle's solicitor (episode: "Danielle")
- Annette Badland – Donna Swift, a senior prosecutor (episode: "Sandeep")
- Clare-Hope Ashitey – Sergeant Adele Addo, head of a search-and-rescue squad of the Metropolitan Police (episode: "Jay")
- Isabella Laughland – McRae, a member of Adele's team (episode: "Jay")
Production
The first series was filmed at Netflix's production hub at Secuoya Studios, Ciudad de la Tele (Error: {{language with name/for}}: missing language tag or language name (help)) in Madrid. The same location was also used for Criminal: France, Criminal: Spain and Criminal: Germany.[2] The second series was filmed at Shepperton Studios, London.
David Tennant, Hayley Atwell and Youssef Kerkour were featured as the Accused in series 1.[5] In September 2020, Sophie Okonedo, Kit Harington, Sharon Horgan and Kunal Nayyar were announced as guest stars for the second series.[6]
Episodes
Series 1 (2019)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
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1 | 1 | "Edgar" | Jim Field Smith | George Kay | 20 September 2019 | |
As time runs out, interrogators turn up the heat on a stone-faced doctor suspected of sexually assaulting and slaying his teenage stepdaughter. | ||||||
2 | 2 | "Stacey" | Jim Field Smith | George Kay | 20 September 2019 | |
With a shadowy colleague looking on, the team starts poking holes in the evolving story of a combative suspect accused of poisoning her sister's partner. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "Jay" | Jim Field Smith | George Kay | 20 September 2019 | |
The team badgers a stubborn truck driver to locate an abandoned trailer full of immigrants, but a new interrogator's poor decision jeopardizes it all. |
Series 2 (2020)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 1 | "Julia" | Jim Field Smith | George Kay | 16 September 2020 | |
Called in one by one on a Sunday, the team risks a legal entanglement when a routine interview with a convicted killer's wife takes a provocative turn. | ||||||
5 | 2 | "Alex" | Jim Field Smith | George Kay | 16 September 2020 | |
With scarce evidence to guide them, the investigators question an arrogant businessman accused of rape by a woman who works for him. | ||||||
6 | 3 | "Danielle" | Jim Field Smith | George Kay | 16 September 2020 | |
Asking increasingly pointed questions, the team tries to crack a zealous defence put forth by the head of an online group that unmasks sexual predators. | ||||||
7 | 4 | "Sandeep" | Jim Field Smith | George Kay | 16 September 2020 | |
Confronted with a shrewd convicted killer wanting to cut a deal, the investigators gamble on calling in a disgraced former colleague to help. |
Release
Criminal: UK was released on 20 September 2019 on Netflix streaming.[2] The second series was released on 16 September 2020.[1]
Reception
For series 1, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes compiled 39 reviews, identified 85% of them as positive, and found an average rating of 7.32/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Though a bit uneven, Criminal's claustrophobic stylings and constantly twisting narratives pair nicely with its visual experiments, creating a crime drama that's equal parts creepy and captivating".[7]
References
- ^ a b Seddon, Dan (19 August 2020). "Line of Duty and Cheat-fronted Netflix show Criminal confirms season 2 return date". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b c White, Peter (9 August 2019). "'Criminal': Netflix Sets Premiere Date For Nicholas Pinnock & Hayley Atwell Police Interrogation Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ Harrison, Ellie (13 October 2019). "When is Criminal released on Netflix? Who's in the cast and what's it about?". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ "BAFTA TV 2021: Nominations for the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards". BAFTA. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (17 June 2019). "'Criminal': Nicholas Pinnock, David Tennant & Hayley Atwell Star In Netflix Police Interrogation Drama". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ White, Peter (2 September 2020). "Kit Harington, Kunal Nayyar, Sharon Horgan & Sophie Okonedo To Star In Season 2 Of Netflix's 'Criminal'". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Criminal: UK: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
External links
- Criminal: UK on Netflix
- Criminal: UK at IMDb
- 2019 British television series debuts
- 2010s British drama television series
- 2020s British drama television series
- 2010s British police procedural television series
- 2020s British police procedural television series
- 2010s British anthology television series
- 2020s British anthology television series
- English-language Netflix original programming
- Television shows set in the United Kingdom
- Television shows filmed in Spain