A Ray of hope
IT’S a thrilling start to this fourpart cop drama, which launches straight into racism and a knifewielding man on the loose.
Written by Line of Duty actress and screenwriter Maya Sondhi, and produced by Jed Mercurio, this stars Parminder Nagra in the title role – you’ll recognise her from Bend It Like Beckham and Fortitude.
Set in Birmingham, DI Rachita Ray is a Leicester-born officer who takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage.
Fresh, relevant and thoughtprovoking, it’s clear immediately that the issue of racism will be tackled head-on.
At work, DI Ray is asked
Rhona excitedly prepares for work – happy to be back at the coal face. But when Moira notices how distracted Rhona is, she has some concerns.
Ethan feels the pressure of his case outside the cafe and calls a friend for advice, above.
Leyla spots a lonely Jai in the pub and boosts his mood by saying she believes the drugs weren’t his.
Noah’s shocked when Chloe walks into the salon as his location tracker said she was elsewhere. ‘What’s your heritage?’ before someone confuses her new photo ID with that of another Asian woman with a completely different name.
She has been given a promotion to join a homicide investigation, but when she realises she’s been assigned to a ‘Culturally Specific Homicide’, her heart sinks.
She suspects she’s a token appointment, chosen for her ethnicity rather than her ability.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Rachita sticks to the case,
Stacey asks Martin for support as she plans to tell Lily about what happened to Jean in Southend, but Martin is apprehensive.
Dotty is unimpressed when Bernie takes her to a chess club, below. However she is better at chess than Bernie thought, and after winning some money, takes Bernie to The Vic to celebrate.
Janine wakes up without Mick by her side. Knowing he is avoiding her, she tries to confront him about their intimacy issues, but it gets awkward. determined to both find the killer and call out the obvious biases her colleagues are bringing to the investigation.
But it’s far from easy, involving organised crime, and also stirs up her own identity crisis, being British but made to feel ‘other’.
Maya Sondhi says: “This is a project which is deeply personal for me as a British Asian Brummie woman. So much of this show is my story and I hope others from all different backgrounds will relate.”
EMMERDALE
ITV, 7.30pm
DI RAY
ITV, 9pm
EASTENDERS
BBC1, 7.30pm
CORONATION STREET ITV, 8pm
After Abi realises Imran hired Ben to get dirt on her, she jumps into the driver’s seat of Toyah’s wedding car, inset, just as Toyah gets in, and drives off.
Elsewhere, Dr Gaddas breaks the news to Faye that she’s suffering from an early menopause and will never be able to have more children.
Stu asks Ken to give him a lift to the wholesalers. While there, an officer accuses Stu of an attempted break-in and assumes Ken to be the getaway driver.