The Long Call

Monday-Thursday, ITV, 9pm

There has been no shortage of lesbian police officers on our screens of late (Vigil), but, incredibly, DI Matthew Venn (Ben Aldridge, far right with Martin Shaw and Anita Dobson) is the first gay male detective on British primetime TV.

Created by Vera and Shetland writer Ann Cleeves, our hero is struggling with the death of his father and fears over how the tight-knit religious community in Devon he once fled will greet his return – especially as he is bringing his husband.

But there’s a case to be investigated, too: a man has been found dead on the beach. He was stabbed – and it soon turns out that the victim, an out-of-work chef, had many enemies for Venn to consider as suspects. Yet there are also secrets in Venn’s own life to be uncovered in the four-part story, which is showing over consecutive nights until Thursday. ★★★★★