The Interceptor

 

I'm all for original drama, and I'm all for original BBC drama; many of the Beeb's recent new series and pieces have been triumphs (Ordinary Lies, or Poldark anyone?) but this latest outing - The Interceptor fell way below the mark in my view.

What started out as a mildly interesting rehashed cop drama rapidly delined into a mash up of Eastenders on heat and AmDramRUs.

To me, this looks like a classic case of a new show that didn't have anywhere near a clear cut idea of what it wanted to be. And what's more, when it stepped out into the light, it did not have much conviction in itself either. Lacklustre presence, minimum impact, terribly predictable plot (both week-on-week and the series as a whole) and often shocking performances from a mediocre cast all make for 8 Wednesday nights I'll never get back and a BBC series which I doubt will be returning, or at least I hope not.

Most police dramas are predictable these days - essentially it is all about trying to revamp the idea of "copper catches criminal". And OK fair enough The Interceptor presented this formula in a sufficiently gritty fashion, but that is about it in terms of plus points. Horribly drawn out sequences, a poor man's law enforcement twist (the idea that "Intercepting" crim's phones was what drives it all) which didn't stick anyway, and far too many main and supporting characters popping in and out with not much real impact or flow rendered the whole thing far too bland for my liking. Or worse, bland and boring; by about episode two I found myself thinking - "yes OK, we know where this is going, now stop dragging it all out and get on with it!" 

Talking of characters - the casting of the Interceptor tended towards the terrible more often than not. I was pleasantly surprised to see some recognised and talented names pop up, but sadly they were not nearly given enough to do or to add to the story. Ralf Little and Paul Kaye were featured in one episode each, apparently just for the sake of it, as was Ralf Ineson. Jo Joyner, who generally I am an admirer of, was credited as main cast but she was given so much of a back seat wife-at-home role that she might as well have been reduced to a few choice cameos. And as for the rest of the cast...oh dear. 

Trevor Eve ws the only other recognised name, and he got quite a role as the head villain of the piece, but he was often as wooden as the furniture he was sitting on. I think he was going for steely, moody and menacing, but the result was often cold, lifeless and pretty close to pointless.

Anna Skellern had a certain allure and appeal to her as Kim, but her character and storyline were as predictable as the rest. Ewan Stewart and Lorraine Ashbourne were desert dry and terribly clichéd in the roles of cantancerous Scottish boss and northern rough-around-the-edges second in command respectively. Charlie De Melo shrank into the background so much he might as well have not been there at all, and Robert Lonsdale was so abruptly cockney geezer-esque he should have been in Eastenders, and his attempted forays into PTSD were both laughable and cringeworthy. And finally as for O.T Fagbenle as the lead character Ash...dissapointing to say the least. He did a lot of talking, and a lot of running but at no point did I find his character at all believable in the slightest. It seemed that Fagbenle was under the impression that all you needed to do to lead a prime time BBC show was to either look broody, distraught or dumbstruck down the lens and it was job done. The only leading man function he managed to carry out was to lead most of his fellow cast into utter capitulation and failure to capture any audience attention or imagination.

Apparently nearly all the mainstream critics are in agreement with me, in fact it looks like I'm being generous in giving The Interceptor 2/5 stars. I was very surprised to see that the final episode seemed to be building up to and leading on to another series; I think that might be a tad optimistic on their part, and if by some miracle The Interceptor does come back, I don't think I shall be tuning in again.