I’m calling it: The Capture is the best British crime series since Line of Duty

Sharing is caring!

Having briefly mentioned The Capture here last week I have now had a chance to watch the first few episodes of the new series. Wow.

I wasn’t sure, to begin with. The ending of that first run was dark and while I was pleased it got a new season, I was a little surprised. It took a while to adjust to some of the new characters. However, notwithstanding the fact that it could all come crashing down in the remaining episodes, this show is – increasingly – superb.

Yes, it’s a big call comparing it to Line of Duty, which has become sacred in UK television, going from strength to strength over its (so far) six series. But as someone who watched LoD from the start (oh yeah, I was there before it was cool), this is the only thing which has come close in that genre since.

The story deals primarily with deepfakes, the, ahem, deeply troubling technology which can mimic people on video. It’s been gaining increasing infamy in the media and to an extent in entertainment – viewers of The Mandalorian and the Boba Fett series on Disney+ might be familiar with how deepfake technology was used on Luke Skywalker in those shows.

Of much greater concern is how this could be used in the real world, particularly given the hate-filled polarity in much of modern politics. it’s only a matter of time before serious disinformation is spread through this tech. The show is a drama and takes dramatic liberties, but at times, it is worryingly plausible.

The show is written and directed by Ben Chanan, who among other things, directed episodes of The Missing and two episodes of The Last Kingdom. Given that last credit, it’s maybe a little disappointing that the action scenes aren’t always as compelling as, say, Line of Duty. That said, Krav Maga has already featured, so I’m expecting some brutal hand-to-hand confrontations before the end and for the sheer twists and turns and, ‘Oh my God, did that just happen?’ moments, this is a worthy successor.

For me, nothing that Jed Mercurio has produced since Line of Duty has worked as well. Bodyguard was enjoyably silly fun, but Vigil was a bit of a let-down and Bloodlands was garbage; I’m flummoxed the latter is getting a second series. The acting in that show (particularly from lead James Nesbitt) was one of its biggest flaws, whereas here, the talent is top class. Big-name American stars such as Ron Perlman and Famke Janssen appear alongside a host of familiar British character actors. Lead Holliday Grainger is excellent throughout, unafraid to play someone unlikeable and particularly strong when emoting in close-up. She runs rings around more experienced actors in some of the scenes and has developed heroically in the second series.

Another thing the show shares with LoD is a cold fury at the state of the world. Sufficient to say, as the story develops it takes big gouges at modern politics and how we found ourselves in this appalling state. Those of you who have seen The Great Hack on Netflix are going to find it increasingly troubling. In many ways, it’s a wake-up call disguised as drama.

It works on many levels, intrigues, educates, scares, and above all, thrills. Well done to all involved for making the best crime thriller since Line of Duty and here’s hoping it gets at least the six series it deserves.

The Capture series one and the first five episodes of series two are available on iPlayer.