Last week's opener to this three-part adaptation of Jake Arnott's crime novel set high standards, and it remains a class act as the story develops. There are three strands at work here, all cleverly intertwined.
In 1966, ex-con Billy Porter (a vicious ex-con with shades of the Krays, strongly portrayed by Mel Raido, pictured) has gone on the run after he senselessly and brutally killed three policemen. Freelance reporter Tony Meehan (Steven Robertson) has become the red-top expert on "Billy Porter - Cop Killer". The scoop which he chanced upon has brought the slimy hack into the limelight. A clandestine gay (who has his own murderous secrets), his career is on the up. And there's mixed fortunes for bent cop Frank Taylor (Rafe Spall). On the one hand, he's become dangerously obsessed with the need to avenge the murder of his cop friend Jon Young and is thwarted when Billy cleverly slips the net, going into hiding in thick woodland. On the other hand, by fate Frank has ended up with Jon's girl, former tart Jeannie (Kelly Reilly), they've married and are raising Jon's son.
The drama leaps forward to 1971. After desperate public appeals by his mother (Maureen Lipman) to turn himself him, Billy has started a new secret life, becoming a fairground hand. Tony is on the skids, unable to find other scoops. Fleet Street regards him as a washed-up crank, obsessed with Billy, and it won't be too long before he's given his marching orders. And, five years on, Frank has moved up within the police force, but is no nearer to tracking Billy down. Or is he?
A tremendous episode, with great period touches, a punchy script and a slickness that's highly addictive, if you can forgive some of the forced London accents, this is beginning to build into one of the best dramas of the year so far. Paul Strange
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