THE DIPLOMAT
Alibi, 9pm
There are shades of Death in Paradise in the premise of this sunny six-part drama. Set around the British consulate in Barcelona, it stars Peaky Blinders’ Sophie Rundle as consul Laura, who is charged with protecting and aiding visiting British nationals. Her role falls somewhere between solicitor, counsellor and detective, with each case involving a diplomatic dance with Spanish authorities.
In this first episode, she must assist grieving father Colin (Danny Sapani), whose son – a British barman – has been found dead in a marina. The Spanish police believe it was a tragic jet ski accident, but Colin is convinced that he was murdered. It is a relatively classy affair, and the characters are (mostly) perfectly likeable. The dialogue is welcomingly witty (“I’ve lost my son,” says Colin after Laura offers to pay for lunch, “not my wallet”). And pacing-wise, it drifts along like a soft Spanish breeze, giving Colin enough time to breathe and grieve. His story will run through the six episodes (which are available as a boxset on UKTV Play, as well as airing weekly on Alibi), but the show is primarily story-of-the-week in format. Next week’s will follow the abduction of a British tourist.