If Shetland is up there with your favourite detective dramas of all time (us too), you might be wondering how another series could possibly be as good. Well, you haven’t seen In the Dark yet. The BBC drama introduces us to whip-smart yet troubled detective, Helen Weeks (MyAnna Buring), who also happens to be dealing with a surprise pregnancy – and it is, in our humble opinion, the BBC’s best series since Shetland.
The crime drama, which first aired in 2017, comes from the pen of Danny Brocklehurst (the genius behind Fool Me Once and Brassic) and features two very clever, very compelling stories that take place over the course of Manchester detective Helen’s pregnancy (it’s a rather tumultuous nine months, to say the least). Featuring an intriguing sub-plot, a relatable lead character and its fair share of corruption, it’s the sort of series rainy days were made for.
With all four episodes of In the Dark available to stream on the BBC now, here’s everything you need to know about the detective drama before you tune in, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is In the Dark about?
Adapted from two books by bestselling novelist, Mark Billingham, In the Dark and Time of Death, the four-part series stars MyAnna Buring as Helen Weeks, a strong-willed detective who navigates complex crimes while grappling with an unexpected pregnancy. Told in two separate stories (two episodes each), we meet Helen when she discovers she’s pregnant, but before she can deal with the tricky issue of whether the child is her partner and fellow detective Paul's (Ben Batt) or the result of an affair, she’s drawn into the most testing case of her career.
When the husband of an estranged school friend is accused of abducting two young girls, Helen is compelled to go back to her hometown where she must face her painful past. The question is, do the police actually have the right man? In order to find out, Helen must dig deep into the secrets of her childhood, at the very moment in time that she’s contemplating bringing a new life into the world.
In the second two-parter, we find Helen heavily pregnant and, while some might take it easy, she's pulled into a dangerous world of the grimy under-belly of urban Manchester. Forced to question even her closest relationships, she finds herself asking: even if you love someone, do you ever really know them completely?
Written by Danny Brocklehurst (Lazarus, Fool Me Once), it’s a series filled with betrayal, loss and, surprisingly, hope. Danny told the BBC: “For me, crime drama is only interesting when it is told through character and in Helen Weeks, Mark has created a brilliant central character: a ballsy, funny, outspoken police woman who finds herself on the cusp of motherhood and has to grudgingly accept the vulnerability that brings to her.
“The key theme of the drama - how well do we really know those closest to us? - is a theme I find endlessly fascinating, and the fact that Helen's own life has secrets and duplicity makes the drama all the more interesting.”
Who’s in the cast of In the Dark?
The cast of In the Dark includes:
- MyAnna Buring (Ripper Street, Downton Abbey) as DI Helen Weeks
- Ben Batt (Toxic Town) as DI Paul Hopkins
- David Leon (Vera) as DI Adam Perrin
- Ashley Walters (Adolescence) as DI Tim Cornish
- Matt King (Peep Show) as Phil Hendricks
- Clive Wood (Treasure Island) as Robert Weeks
- Emma Fryer (Home Time) as Linda Bates
- Jamie Sives (Annika) as DCI Jack Gosforth
- Fisayo Akinade (Goodbye June) as Theo
- Tim McInnerny (Blackadder) as Frank Linnell
- Pearce Quigley (Smal Prophets) as Trevor Hare
- Georgia Tennant (Staged) as Jenny
- Sinead Matthews (Half Broken Things) as Paula Days
- Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer) as DC Sophie Carson
Is In the Dark any good?
Yes – it’s an emotionally-fuelled series that never feels predictable. Helen Weeks is the sort of character who, despite being pretty complex, intrigues you, feels relatable and isn’t too squeaky clean. If you enjoy series like Shetland or Happy Valley, we’re confident you’ll like In the Dark.
How can I watch In the Dark?
All four episodes of In the Dark are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. You can also watch the series on U.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
If you’re a Midsomer Murders fan, we’d recommend My Life is Murder. The series follows the fearless former detective turned private investigator Alexa Crowe (Lucy Lawless) who, as well as solving crime, also has a passion for baking bread (yes, really). You can watch My Life is Murder on Acorn TV via Prime Video. Alternatively, if you want to see one of Sarah Lancashire’s best shows, check out Rose and Maloney. Sarah stars opposite Phil Davis as the titular Rose Linden and Marion Maloney, investigators who work for the fictional Criminal Justice Review Agency and take on claims of miscarriages of justice. You can watch Rose and Maloney on Prime Video.