Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Pick of the day Brilliant? You Bletcha
THE BLETCHLY CIRCLE: SAN FRANCISCO
ITV, 9pm
DURING World War II, thousands of women worked at the British codebreaking HQ Bletchley Park.
Of course, they were largely tasked with clerical work because, you know, they were just women (insert eye roll) – but in the end the war effort needed the clever brains of these women for far more.
It’s a brilliant premise for a TV drama, although not everyone thought so.
The original Bletchley Circle was ditched by ITV after two series. But fans were in uproar – and now, four years later, it’s back by popular demand.
Only two original cast members have returned – Rachael Stirling and Julie Graham as Millie and Jean, first seen working away at Bletchley in 1942.
But a terrible tragedy happens when one of their colleagues is murdered, positioned as an angel and left with a bizarre code drawn on her palm.
Fast forward 14 years to 1956 and Millie and Jean hear of a similar murder in San Francisco. And because this is TV drama, of course they jump on the next plane to investigate.
There they meet Iris (Crystal Balint), an American musician and maths genius who was also a codebreaker during the war, as well as her young engineering prodigy Hailey (Chanelle Peloso).
Suddenly we have a crimebusting Fantastic Four.
Sure, this is to some extent a standard murder investigation, but there are brilliant moments when the women pace a room, making genius deductions, as well as dealing with the many, many patronising men. Superheroes without the capes...