Thrills and spills

ITV, 9pm

THE perfect antidote to all this relentless Christmas cheer – a gritty, dark crime thriller to sink our teeth into.

You’d be forgiven for thinking: “Oh no, not another drama about a detective with a terrible past.” For that is precisely what this is. However, the detective, Elizabeth Bancroft, is played by Sarah Parish (Mistresses, Cutting It, W1A), who hasn’t let us down yet. And we’re even excited by the Doctor Foster-esque opening titles, with various things floating around, like burning matches, dying daffodils and bloody knives.

It’s straight down to business with a smiling young woman practically skipping down the street in broad daylight. But the sinister horror film soundtrack tells us we should expect something bad to happen.

Cut to neighbours gathered around her house and a police officer making her way inside. The woman is lying on her kitchen floor, most definitely dead.

Also on the case is Katherine Stevens (Game of Thrones’ Faye Marsay), an ambitious fasttracked recruit, who unwittingly delves into the ghosts of Bancroft’s past.

This smart thriller, also featuring Amara Karan as Anya Karim, is on for four consecutive nights, which means no annoying waiting around. Expect suitably gripping cliffhangers each night.

DARK DAYS Stevens, Bancroft and Karim