Blue Lights (2023 TV series)

Last updated

Blue Lights
Blue Lights (2023 TV series).jpeg
Genre Police procedural
Crime drama
Written by
  • Declan Lawn
  • Adam Patterson
  • Fran Harris
Directed byGilles Bannier
Starring
Theme music composerEoin O'Callaghan / Elma Orkestra
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Stephen Wright
  • Louise Gallagher
  • Tommy Bulfin
  • Declan Lawn
  • Adam Patterson
  • Gilles Bannier
ProducerCarol Moorhead
Production location Northern Ireland
Cinematography
  • Stephen Murphy
  • Angus Mitchell
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network BBC One
Release27 March 2023 (2023-03-27) –
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 has been re-commissioned for a second series, which began broadcast in April 2024. [1] A third and fourth series have been commissioned. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

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.

Cast

Episodes

Series 1 (2023)

No.Title  [6] Directed by  [6] Written by  [6] Original air date  [6] UK viewers
(millions)
1"The Code"Gilles BannierDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson27 March 2023 (2023-03-27)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 BannierDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson3 April 2023 (2023-04-03)4.25
A poisonous batch of drugs turns up across Belfast. Annie wonders whom she can trust.
3"The Fear"Gilles BannierFran Harris10 April 2023 (2023-04-10)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 BannierFran Harris17 April 2023 (2023-04-17)4.34
The team attempt to cover for each other during a busy night shift.
5"The Q Word"Gilles BannierDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson24 April 2023 (2023-04-24)4.23
Mo risks his relationship with his father, and Tommy is put to the test.
6"Love the One You're With"Gilles BannierDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson1 May 2023 (2023-05-01)4.44
Truths are revealed as the team works together in the aftermath of the arms deal.

Series 2 (2024)

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 PattersonDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson15 April 2024 (2024-04-15)TBC
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 PattersonDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson22 April 2024 (2024-04-22)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 PattersonBronagh Taggart29 April 2024 (2024-04-29)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 CaseyNoel McCann6 May 2024 (2024-05-06)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 CaseyDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson13 May 2024 (2024-05-13)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 CaseyDeclan Lawn & Adam Patterson20 May 2024 (2024-05-20)TBC
Mount Eden descends into chaos as Grace tries to get Henry out from under Lee’s control. Happy finally learns the truth.

Future

In February 2024, the show was renewed for a further two series. [1]

Production

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]

Filming

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]

Casting

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]

Broadcast

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.

Reception

Accolades

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]

Critical response

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]

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References

  1. 1 2 "BBC announces second series of Blue Lights". www.bbc.co.uk. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Goldbart, Max (21 February 2024). "BBC Unveils Mega 12-Show Drama Slate Featuring 'Dear England' Adaptation Starring Joseph Fiennes, Aimee Lou Wood's Debut Writing Project & Rebecca Hall-Led Series From Element". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Belkessam, Omar (27 March 2023). "Blue Lights: BBC drama explores the reality of life in the PSNI". BBC News. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hibbs, James (27 March 2023). "Blue Lights: Release date, cast and latest news for BBC police drama". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Roy, David (16 February 2024). "Blue Lights: new cast and loyalist-centric plot revealed for second series of BBC's hit Belfast cop show". Irish News. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "BBC One – Blue Lights – Episodes". BBC One . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "Blue Lights season 2: Release date speculation, cast and latest news".
  8. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (23 March 2023). "'The Salisbury Poisonings' Duo Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn Sign With WME for U.S. Representation (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Interview with Gilles Bannier – Director & Executive Producer of Blue Lights". Pressparty.com. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Brutality in BBC drama Blue Lights shocked cast who had not lived through Troubles". The Observer. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  11. ↑ Williamson, Claire (27 March 2024). "Blue Lights star tells of 'insane' moment she was recognised in Bali by Dutch fans". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  12. ↑ McLaughlin, Sophie (27 March 2024). "BBC Blue Lights 2: Creator Declan Lawn explains important reason for Gerry's death in series one". Belfast Live. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  13. ↑ Comerford, Ruth (27 March 2023). "Where was Blue Lights filmed? Filming locations in Belfast for the new BBC One drama series". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "Set pictures from series 2 of BBC's Blue Lights reveal possible new recruits". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Kelly, Laura (27 March 2023). "Sian Brooke 'fell in love with Belfast' making gritty police drama Blue Lights". Big Issue. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Blue Lights". bbc.co.uk. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Airdate: Blue Lights". tvtonight.com.au. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  18. ↑ McLaughlin, Sophie (6 September 2023). "NTA 2023: Blue Lights loses out on Best New Drama award to Netflix show Wednesday". Belfast Live. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  19. ↑ Pritchard, Jonathan (3 November 2023). "TV Choice Awards nominees 2024: All Creatures Great and Small, Happy Valley and James Martin all up for awards". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "RTS CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2023". RTS. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  21. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (14 March 2024). "Cillian Murphy, Andrew Scott Among Irish Film & TV Awards Nominees; 'Lies We Tell' Leads Feature Categories – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  22. ↑ Szalai, Georg (20 April 2024). "Cillian Murphy, 'Kin' Season 2 Among Irish Film & Television Awards Winners" . Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  23. ↑ "Blue Lights". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  24. ↑ Singh, Anita (28 March 2023). "Blue Lights, review: BBC One's Belfast cop drama deserves as much hype as Line of Duty". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  25. ↑ Nicholson, Rebecca (28 March 2023). "Blue Lights review – don't sleep on this fantastically tense Belfast cop show". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  26. ↑ Richardson, Hollie (24 April 2023). "TV tonight: excitement mounts in a superb NI cop show". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  27. ↑ Acheson, Ian (24 April 2023). "The BBC's Blue Lights is a near-perfect cop drama". The Spectator. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  28. ↑ O’Grady, Sean (28 March 2023). "Blue Lights Review:A tiresome look at policing in Northern Ireland". The Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Blue Lights, series 2, review: British TV's best crime drama returns in the finest of health". The Telegraph. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
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