Blue Lights | |
---|---|
Genre |
Police procedural Crime drama |
Written by |
|
Directed by | Gilles Bannier |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Eoin O'Callaghan / Elma Orkestra |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 12 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Carol Moorhead |
Production location | Northern Ireland |
Cinematography |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 27 March 2023 present | –
Blue Lights is a television drama series, set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, following three probationary police officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the experienced officers who train, mentor, and work with them. The series was broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, premiering on 27 March 2023; it was re-commissioned for a second series, which began broadcast in April 2024. [1] A third and fourth series have been commissioned. [2]
The series follows three probationary police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland assigned to the fictional Blackthorn Station in Belfast. [3] One of the new officers, Grace Ellis, is an English mother in her 40s, who left her job as a social worker to join the Police Service but only weeks into the job she wonders if she's made the right decision. The series also focuses on fellow rookies Annie Conlon and Tommy Foster; they too struggle under the immense pressure of the job.
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Average UK viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | 6 | 27 March 2023 | 1 May 2023 | 4.35 | |
2 | 6 | 15 April 2024 | 20 May 2024 | TBA |
No. | Title [6] | Directed by [6] | Written by [6] | Original air date [6] | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Code" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 27 March 2023 | 4.68 | |
New constables Grace, Annie and Tommy struggle with the demands of police work. The police clash with MI5 agents and associates of gangster James McIntyre. | ||||||
2 | "Bad Batch" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 3 April 2023 | 4.25 | |
A poisonous batch of drugs turns up across Belfast. Annie wonders whom she can trust. | ||||||
3 | "The Fear" | Gilles Bannier | Fran Harris | 10 April 2023 | 4.17 | |
A paramilitary-style assault case has Grace determined to bring the McIntyres to their knees. Meanwhile, Angela becomes increasingly desperate. | ||||||
4 | "Full Moon Fever" | Gilles Bannier | Fran Harris | 17 April 2023 | 4.34 | |
The team attempt to cover for each other during a busy night shift. | ||||||
5 | "The Q Word" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 24 April 2023 | 4.23 | |
Mo risks his relationship with his father, and Tommy is put to the test. | ||||||
6 | "Love the One You're With" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 1 May 2023 | 4.44 | |
Truths are revealed as the team works together in the aftermath of the arms deal. |
On 20 April 2023, the BBC confirmed that a second series of 6 episodes had been commissioned with filming to begin in Belfast in summer 2023. [7] Siân Brooke, Martin McCann, Katherine Devlin, Nathan Braniff, Joanne Crawford, Andi Osho, and Hannah McClean are set to reprise their roles. Set one year after the first series, the second is being broadcast from 15 April 2024 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
No. | Title [6] | Directed by [6] | Written by [6] | Original air date [6] | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "This Too Shall Pass" | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 15 April 2024 | 4.82 | |
A year into the job, the team are faced with a drug-fuelled crime wave that leads them into a loyalist estate. A violent clash puts Stevie and Grace’s working relationship at risk. | ||||||
2 | "Iceberg" | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 22 April 2024 | TBC | |
A loyalist gangland feud turns up the pressure on the section. Annie makes an impetuous decision on a night out. | ||||||
3 | "Love Knows" | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | Bronagh Taggart | 29 April 2024 | TBC | |
As tensions grow in Mount Eden, a response call forces Stevie to confront his past. Annie deals with the consequences of an impulsive decision. | ||||||
4 | "The Stamp of Nature" | Jack Casey | Noel McCann | 6 May 2024 | TBC | |
Lee is the new boss in Mount Eden. Under pressure from Canning to get results, Shane leads Tommy into danger. | ||||||
5 | "Where I Want To Be" | Jack Casey | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 13 May 2024 | TBC | |
Annie’s job is on the line. As Lee consolidates power, Stevie and Grace are thrown back together on a response call, with terrible consequences. | ||||||
6 | "The Loyal" | Jack Casey | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 20 May 2024 | TBC | |
Mount Eden descends into chaos as Grace tries to get Henry out from under Lee’s control. Happy finally learns the truth. |
In February 2024, the show was renewed for a further two series. [1]
The series is written by Declan Lawn, Adam Patterson & Fran Harris. [8] Director Gilles Bannier described the themes of the series to be: [9]
how you pass the baton to the next generation and how the generation that is reaching the end should share the experience... it is so important that people should share their experience and yet let the younger generations make decisions for themselves.
Lawn and Patterson were both brought up in Northern Ireland and said there was a disparity between the older and younger actors as to their knowledge of the Troubles with Lawn saying: [10]
Our more established stars, John Lynch and Richard Dormer, grew up there and knew about the history of the Troubles…it was interesting to see how different age groups reacted to it. The level of violence was a shock to some.
The first series attracted more than seven million viewers and was in the UK’s top ten rated drama programmes in 2023, across all broadcasters and streamers. [11]
The second series is set a year following the events of the first series, and follows loyalist side of the community in Belfast after the exploration into the nationalist McIntrye family in the first series. [12]
The series was filmed completely in Northern Ireland with filming locations including Belfast, Dundonald’s Coopers Mill, and Bangor. Principal photography commenced in February 2022. [13]
Series 2 commenced filming in August 2023. [14]
Sian Brooke said elements of the role felt right to her because her father was a police officer and the script "captured the friendships within the job, and how important they are. How much time you spend with this person in a car. They spend more time with each other than they probably do with anybody else, in this tiny little office on wheels." She also spoke to serving officers, social workers and Belfast residents before filming. [15]
The series was first broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom at 9 pm on Monday 27 March 2023 [16] with the full series available on BBC iPlayer.
The series is available in Ireland through Raidió Teilifís Éireann on the RTÉ Player.
The series begun broadcasting in Australia on SBS. [17] The series debuted Thursday, 18 May on SBS On Demand with all six episodes available to stream and played weekly 9.30 pm Thursdays, starting 24 May on SBS.
The series was nominated for Best New Drama at the 28th National Television Awards. [18] In November 2023, the show was nominated in the Best New Drama Series at the TV Choice Awards. [19] Peggy Koretzky was nominated in the Best Editing - Scripted category at the 2023 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards. [20]
In April 2024, Richard Dormer won for Best Supporting Actor at the IFTA Film & Drama Awards. The series was also nominated for Best Drama and Best Script, with Martin McCann nominated for Best Actor. [21] [22]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Blue Lights holds an approval rating of 90% based on 10 reviews. [23]
Anita Singh writing in The Daily Telegraph awarded the series five stars and said "Blue Lights won’t receive a fraction of the hype of Line of Duty, but there isn’t a duff line or an overcooked scene to be found here". [24] Rebecca Nicholson for The Guardian also gave the show five stars. Nicholson said she was "engrossed", describing it as "well-crafted, fantastically tense, thrilling stuff", [25] and "one of the best shows of the year“. [26] Ian Acheson in The Spectator called it a "near perfect cop drama" that "manages to humanise the lives of the men and women in the Police Service of Northern Ireland without mawkishness" that despite "some procedural howlers that have clearly been let loose in the service of the storylines", leaves viewers "in for a rare treat." [27] But the series was panned in The Independent, with Sean O’Grady describing the central characters as either “loathsome or pathetic" and in some cases "both". [28] Benji Wilson of The Telegraph awarded the second series five stars out of five, writing that “The Belfast-set cop show’s fantastic first series was a hit for the BBC and the second is just as good – this is must-watch TV.” [29]
Blue Lights | |
---|---|
Genre |
Police procedural Crime drama |
Written by |
|
Directed by | Gilles Bannier |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Eoin O'Callaghan / Elma Orkestra |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 12 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Carol Moorhead |
Production location | Northern Ireland |
Cinematography |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 27 March 2023 present | –
Blue Lights is a television drama series, set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, following three probationary police officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the experienced officers who train, mentor, and work with them. The series was broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, premiering on 27 March 2023; it was re-commissioned for a second series, which began broadcast in April 2024. [1] A third and fourth series have been commissioned. [2]
The series follows three probationary police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland assigned to the fictional Blackthorn Station in Belfast. [3] One of the new officers, Grace Ellis, is an English mother in her 40s, who left her job as a social worker to join the Police Service but only weeks into the job she wonders if she's made the right decision. The series also focuses on fellow rookies Annie Conlon and Tommy Foster; they too struggle under the immense pressure of the job.
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Average UK viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | 6 | 27 March 2023 | 1 May 2023 | 4.35 | |
2 | 6 | 15 April 2024 | 20 May 2024 | TBA |
No. | Title [6] | Directed by [6] | Written by [6] | Original air date [6] | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Code" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 27 March 2023 | 4.68 | |
New constables Grace, Annie and Tommy struggle with the demands of police work. The police clash with MI5 agents and associates of gangster James McIntyre. | ||||||
2 | "Bad Batch" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 3 April 2023 | 4.25 | |
A poisonous batch of drugs turns up across Belfast. Annie wonders whom she can trust. | ||||||
3 | "The Fear" | Gilles Bannier | Fran Harris | 10 April 2023 | 4.17 | |
A paramilitary-style assault case has Grace determined to bring the McIntyres to their knees. Meanwhile, Angela becomes increasingly desperate. | ||||||
4 | "Full Moon Fever" | Gilles Bannier | Fran Harris | 17 April 2023 | 4.34 | |
The team attempt to cover for each other during a busy night shift. | ||||||
5 | "The Q Word" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 24 April 2023 | 4.23 | |
Mo risks his relationship with his father, and Tommy is put to the test. | ||||||
6 | "Love the One You're With" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 1 May 2023 | 4.44 | |
Truths are revealed as the team works together in the aftermath of the arms deal. |
On 20 April 2023, the BBC confirmed that a second series of 6 episodes had been commissioned with filming to begin in Belfast in summer 2023. [7] Siân Brooke, Martin McCann, Katherine Devlin, Nathan Braniff, Joanne Crawford, Andi Osho, and Hannah McClean are set to reprise their roles. Set one year after the first series, the second is being broadcast from 15 April 2024 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
No. | Title [6] | Directed by [6] | Written by [6] | Original air date [6] | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "This Too Shall Pass" | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 15 April 2024 | 4.82 | |
A year into the job, the team are faced with a drug-fuelled crime wave that leads them into a loyalist estate. A violent clash puts Stevie and Grace’s working relationship at risk. | ||||||
2 | "Iceberg" | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 22 April 2024 | TBC | |
A loyalist gangland feud turns up the pressure on the section. Annie makes an impetuous decision on a night out. | ||||||
3 | "Love Knows" | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | Bronagh Taggart | 29 April 2024 | TBC | |
As tensions grow in Mount Eden, a response call forces Stevie to confront his past. Annie deals with the consequences of an impulsive decision. | ||||||
4 | "The Stamp of Nature" | Jack Casey | Noel McCann | 6 May 2024 | TBC | |
Lee is the new boss in Mount Eden. Under pressure from Canning to get results, Shane leads Tommy into danger. | ||||||
5 | "Where I Want To Be" | Jack Casey | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 13 May 2024 | TBC | |
Annie’s job is on the line. As Lee consolidates power, Stevie and Grace are thrown back together on a response call, with terrible consequences. | ||||||
6 | "The Loyal" | Jack Casey | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 20 May 2024 | TBC | |
Mount Eden descends into chaos as Grace tries to get Henry out from under Lee’s control. Happy finally learns the truth. |
In February 2024, the show was renewed for a further two series. [1]
The series is written by Declan Lawn, Adam Patterson & Fran Harris. [8] Director Gilles Bannier described the themes of the series to be: [9]
how you pass the baton to the next generation and how the generation that is reaching the end should share the experience... it is so important that people should share their experience and yet let the younger generations make decisions for themselves.
Lawn and Patterson were both brought up in Northern Ireland and said there was a disparity between the older and younger actors as to their knowledge of the Troubles with Lawn saying: [10]
Our more established stars, John Lynch and Richard Dormer, grew up there and knew about the history of the Troubles…it was interesting to see how different age groups reacted to it. The level of violence was a shock to some.
The first series attracted more than seven million viewers and was in the UK’s top ten rated drama programmes in 2023, across all broadcasters and streamers. [11]
The second series is set a year following the events of the first series, and follows loyalist side of the community in Belfast after the exploration into the nationalist McIntrye family in the first series. [12]
The series was filmed completely in Northern Ireland with filming locations including Belfast, Dundonald’s Coopers Mill, and Bangor. Principal photography commenced in February 2022. [13]
Series 2 commenced filming in August 2023. [14]
Sian Brooke said elements of the role felt right to her because her father was a police officer and the script "captured the friendships within the job, and how important they are. How much time you spend with this person in a car. They spend more time with each other than they probably do with anybody else, in this tiny little office on wheels." She also spoke to serving officers, social workers and Belfast residents before filming. [15]
The series was first broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom at 9 pm on Monday 27 March 2023 [16] with the full series available on BBC iPlayer.
The series is available in Ireland through Raidió Teilifís Éireann on the RTÉ Player.
The series begun broadcasting in Australia on SBS. [17] The series debuted Thursday, 18 May on SBS On Demand with all six episodes available to stream and played weekly 9.30 pm Thursdays, starting 24 May on SBS.
The series was nominated for Best New Drama at the 28th National Television Awards. [18] In November 2023, the show was nominated in the Best New Drama Series at the TV Choice Awards. [19] Peggy Koretzky was nominated in the Best Editing - Scripted category at the 2023 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards. [20]
In April 2024, Richard Dormer won for Best Supporting Actor at the IFTA Film & Drama Awards. The series was also nominated for Best Drama and Best Script, with Martin McCann nominated for Best Actor. [21] [22]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Blue Lights holds an approval rating of 90% based on 10 reviews. [23]
Anita Singh writing in The Daily Telegraph awarded the series five stars and said "Blue Lights won’t receive a fraction of the hype of Line of Duty, but there isn’t a duff line or an overcooked scene to be found here". [24] Rebecca Nicholson for The Guardian also gave the show five stars. Nicholson said she was "engrossed", describing it as "well-crafted, fantastically tense, thrilling stuff", [25] and "one of the best shows of the year“. [26] Ian Acheson in The Spectator called it a "near perfect cop drama" that "manages to humanise the lives of the men and women in the Police Service of Northern Ireland without mawkishness" that despite "some procedural howlers that have clearly been let loose in the service of the storylines", leaves viewers "in for a rare treat." [27] But the series was panned in The Independent, with Sean O’Grady describing the central characters as either “loathsome or pathetic" and in some cases "both". [28] Benji Wilson of The Telegraph awarded the second series five stars out of five, writing that “The Belfast-set cop show’s fantastic first series was a hit for the BBC and the second is just as good – this is must-watch TV.” [29]