An arresting start, Sarah
Making predictions after one episode of a new TV show can be dangerous. So I won’t say for definite that could be ITV’S very own Line Of Duty.
However, if ITV was going for a Line Of Duty vibe with this police drama, then last night’s opener has to go down as a success.
The main plot was certainly similar to the last series of BBC1’S bent coppers hit.
An ambitious female DCI who looks to be going places is forced to take extreme action to prevent past misdemeanours coming to light.
Whether Sarah Parish in the eponymous lead role will be able to match the incredible performance of Thandie Newton remains to be seen.
She’s already giving it a good go though – thanks to some clever face mapping technology, she even appears in the flashback scenes from 1990. Sarah Parish
I also managed to watch her without once thinking of Anna, the monosyllabic BBC middle manager she plays in BBC2 sitcom W1A.
The supporting cast is none too shabby either, with the likes of Kenneth Cranham, Faye Marsay (Game Of Thrones), Amara Karan (The Night Of), Lee Boardman (evil Jez Quigley from Corrie), Art Malik and Adrian Edmondson.
The only puzzling thing about Bancroft is the scheduling.
It seems odd that it has been spread across four nights in peak Christmas party week.
Perhaps ITV is hoping viewers will save it up for a festive binge-watch.
Let’s face it – there’s not much else on telly over Christmas.