In practice, it breathes new life into a much-done style of TV by taking a bird’s eye view of a city still coming to terms with the legacy of the Troubles – and the problematic nature of policing it.
Can a new sitcom really mine some primetime BBC One belly laughs from the beleaguered institution? It’s a big ask, but the answer – pretty miraculously – is yes.” Read the full review Blue LightsīBC One On paper, this Belfast police drama provides a fresh twist on the genre by following three new recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, with a couple of months of probation left to go.
What we said: “Between the institutional racism, the institutional misogyny and the institutional homophobia, the Metropolitan police isn’t exactly steeped in hilarity. This sitcom from Famalam duo Akemnji Ndifornyen and Gbemisola Ikumelo takes the premise of two definitely “not street” community support officers forced to go undercover in a drug gang due to a lack of Black coppers – and turns it into one of the year’s most fantastic farces. It’s chock-a-block with gags, a tour-de-force of comic timing and definitely the funniest show you’ll see which shines a light on institutional racism in the police force.
