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Feisty Boston detective Jane Rizzoli is a brilliant detective, with a sometimes messy private life – literally so in the case of her untidy apartment, which she shares with her dog Jo Friday.

Jane, played by Angie Harmon, adopted the Yorkshire Terrier after her partner rescued it, even though she claims to be allergic to dogs.

Rizzoli comes from a working-class ItalianAmerican family and has had to work hard to win the respect of her colleagues in the Boston Police Department, something she has managed by cracking a series of fiendishly difficult cases. She is not just a solver of crimes – she takes on suspects physically too when necessary.

And she bears the scars of some terrifying close encounters with killers, having been stabbed through the palms of both hands with scalpels when she was grappling with serial killer Charles Hoyt, known as The Surgeon. He attacked her from behind when she was trying to save one of his victims, and she was nearly killed herself before her partner Korsak came to the rescue.

Away from work, she frequently clashes with her over-protective mother Angela, played by Lorraine Bracco.

Actress Angie said: “It’s fun to be able to play a character like Jane because she gets to say sometimes bitchy, sometimes snarky, sometimes funny, sometimes biting things – and it’s understood and funny. People get it.”

It’s her hard-bitten humour along with her detective skills that make Rizzoli one of the most compelling female detectives on TV. TODAY, 9PM (THEN FROM SEPTEMBER 7, THURSDAYS, 8PM) The Drama channel is home to some of the bes drama shows on TV, from homegrown favourites to classics from around the world. Here is when to get your fix of these well known characters: LIFE ON MARS MONDAYS, 8PM NEW TRICKS WEEKNIGHTS, 10PM FATHER BROWN FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 9PM INSPECTOR GEORGE GENTLY WEDNESDAYS, 8PM WAR & PEACE FROM SEPTEMBER 10, 12PM SHETLAND SATURDAYS, 9PM