James Walton

I have no clue what’s going on but can’t wait to find out: BBC1’s The Capture reviewed

Plus: Jeremy Paxman channels his inner taxi-driver on Channel 5

How did the police ever solve any crimes before CCTV? That was the question which sprang to mind watching the first episodes of two highly promising new crime dramas this week. It’s also the central question now facing the detective in one of them.

Part police officer, part career women, Rachel Carey in The Capture (BBC1, Tuesday) is being fast-tracked through the system to the traditional disapproval of her grizzled, old-school boss DCI Alex Boyd — imaginatively known as Boydy. Fortunately, Rachel (Holliday Grainger) won’t be with his unit for long. Having saved Britain from a deadly terrorist attack while working for special ops, she’s been sent there temporarily to see how she might handle a high-profile murder or kidnapping.

And as luck would have it, she didn’t have to wait long. Within hours, CCTV street footage obligingly showed a woman being attacked and apparently abducted by a soldier. The trouble was that the soldier in question turned out to be Shaun Emery (Callum Turner), who’d just been released from prison after video evidence of him executing a Taleban insurgent was revealed as unreliable. (‘You do know your suspect is a national hero,’ Boydy gleefully pointed out.)

Pausing only to punch several investigating officers in the face, Shaun insisted that the CCTV footage was also faked in some unspecified way. The first part, in which he and his improbably glamorous defence lawyer celebrated their appeal victory with a kiss, he accepted as real; but not the bit where he smashed her to the ground and dragged her towards his car.

So, Rachel wonders what the other evidence is? (None.) As for the big one, did Shaun do it?, Rachel’s suspicion is that he did, but is suffering some sort of PTSD-induced amnesia.

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