Killing Eve

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Just when you thought British TV drama couldn’t get any more exciting, along comes Killing Eve to challenge mega-hit Bodyguard in the riveting thriller stakes. But they’re very different beasts. Where Bodyguard is lean and intense with no room for frivolous diversions, this eight-parter is as wryly funny as it is electrifying, with characters battling over their morning croissants one minute, and getting stabbed in the eye the next. The wit of this series should come as no surprise, because it’s written by Phoebe Waller-bridge, whose Fleabag was one of funniest and most brutally honest TV comedies in recent years. She’s taken a frothy novella about a young, female international assassin being hunted by an older, female British agent, and turned it into a truly unique TV thing.

The tone is set from the start when we see Jodie Comer’s killer Villanelle pushing a small child into her own ice cream. This hit-woman loves her job, with her eyes lighting up when she moves in for the kill. And so does our other protagonist Eve (played perfectly by Grey’s Anatomy ’s Sandra Oh), who happens to be obsessed with female assassins. The genius of this adaptation is that equal weight is given to the villain and the hero, and both are deliciously fun to hang out with. And the supporting characters, such as Fiona Shaw’s drily hilarious MI6 boss, and Eve’s grumpy, put-upon colleague Bill (David Haig), are so deeply fascinating and likeable, they could each have their own spin-off series. No wonder the BBC has made the whole series available as an iplayer box set. It’s the most addictive drama of the year.