Just finished watching the ITV drama Scott & Bailey which you can download via something like filestube.com. This 6 part drama initially registers as Cagney and Lacey in Manchester and is notable for it’s female leads, writers and producers.

The obvious difference compared to the glamorous American series is the lack of fast police action or intricate cases to cleverly unravel. And yet it manages to be a page-turning drama. Sadly some critics have claimed the lack of police stuff makes it boring but I think they have misjudged the series. It isn’t really a cop drama in the mould of, say, The Bill. It is about how two detectives personal lives become intertwined with the professional with near catastrophic consequences. The two female detective constables don’t have the stereotype girly relationship; while clearly friends it’s a lot more nuanced and realistic than that and the drama is stronger for it.

My gripe is that the male characters are 2 dimensional bores and that the longer term plot is too obvious from episode 1. Still, it’s an interesting drama with calls for a second series. Worth a lazy evening watch.