Blue Lights BBC

2023 - 3 - 28

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Den of Geek US"

Blue Lights Review: BBC Belfast Police Drama Is a Fresh ... (Den of Geek US)

From the makers of The Salisbury Poisonings comes a lovable, refreshing drama about three new police recruits in Northern Ireland.

While Robinson’s redemption arc is satisfying, be prepared for Blue Lights to keep you guessing right up to its poignant end, which holds zero punches. This compelling storyline is enough to make it a wholly decent police drama – but what elevates Blue Lights to greatness are its deeply authentic characters. Most notably, the gravel-voiced man’s-man that is PC Gerry Cliff, who has demons aplenty, but still mentors rookie officer Tommy with affectionate fatherly teasing that makes their dynamic addictive viewing. What the detectives from the above shows all have in common is experience, but Blue Lights focusses on three fresh-faced officers on probation in Belfast, Northern Ireland’s most dangerous city. Like award-winning Northern Irish comedy We saw it with

Blue Lights review: A tiresome look at policing in Northern Ireland (The Independent)

Blue Lights is the story of three probationary officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Grace Ellis, Annie Conlon and Tommy Foster, played ...

There’s a story, apparently well founded, that in the early 1970s – as the violence during the Troubles was escalating towards uncontrollable levels – the clubbable, avuncular Tory home secretary of the day, Reggie Maudling, flew out to Belfast. Through their usual police work – stopping suspicious cars, being called out to neighbour disputes and getting assaulted just because they’re police officers – their lives become entangled with the locals, and will do so for the rest of the series (assuming they survive). [Northern Ireland](/topic/northern-ireland), but the problem with [BBC](/topic/bbc) One’s Blue Lights is that there’s no one to really root for.

BBC Blue Lights viewers spot error in first episode of new crime ... (Daily Mail)

BBC1's Blue Lights, which aired at 9pm yesterday, follows officers in Belfast - but viewers confessed they were distracted by a continuity mistake in the ...

Many of those watching couldn't help but spot the mistake and took to Twitter, with one writing: 'How can you get the vehicle exterior and interior shots so wrong? Viewers of BBC's Blue Lights were left stunned when they spotted a glaring blunder in the first episode of the crime show last night - as a car appeared to change from an Audi to a Skoda in the same scene Written by the team behind The Salisbury Poisonings, BBC1's gripping new cop drama Blue Lights follows three rookie cops in Belfast as they try to keep the peace in the post-Troubles era At the end of the first episode, Grace offers one woman, Angela, a lift home in her Audi - however viewers quickly spotted the steering wheel was from a Skoda. [BBC](/news/bbc/index.html)'s Blue Lights were left stunned when they spotted a glaring blunder in the first episode of the crime show last night. [Belfast](/news/belfast/index.html) as they try to keep the peace in the post-Troubles era.

Blue Lights viewers point out glaring error in new BBC One drama (HELLO!)

The six-part series follows three rookie police officers working in Belfast, a city that comes with its own unique pressures and challenges. At the end of the ...

while another commented: "Inside the car is a Skoda but outside it's an Audi." One person wrote: "Really powerful drama tonight #bluelights and worth a watch - very tense but I thought a good portrayal of complexities of Northern Ireland policing," while another added: "The BBC make some incredible programmes. The story also focuses on two other rookies, Annie (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy (Nathan Braniff), who are struggling under the immense pressure. A third person tweeted: "#Bluelights brilliant across the board! Watch the moment in the video below. That was a second-rate afternoon show at best.

Blue Lights: TV fans spot mistake in new NI-based BBC drama (Belfast Telegraph)

BBC's new Northern Ireland-based police drama Blue Lights has enjoyed critical acclaim and popularity with viewers since it aired on Monday, ...

In an often chaotic environment, the characters have just a few crucial months in which they attempt to make it as police officers. A twitter user spotted the error, posting “Towards the end one minute it's an Audi in the rain next minute they are in a Skoda, then when you see it drive off it's an Audi again! In a later shot, the car is once again an Audi.

'You're a brave wee peeler, aren't you?' In Blue Lights, an uneasy ... (The Irish Times)

Television: In BBC's gritty new cop drama, an idealistic PSNI recruit is quickly set straight on limits of what police could or should try to do.

It makes for a low-key cop show that speaks to the bigger truth that life is a challenge to be met one day at a time. But she is quickly set straight on the limits of what the police could or should try to do. The family, Stevie adds, are “frequent flyers” known to the police; to do anything other than the minimum is to invite trouble. The milieu is the hyperspecific one of post-Troubles Northern Ireland. These realities are bluntly communicated to a naive recruit, Grace (Siân Brooke), when she and her partner, Stevie (Martin McCann), venture into a republican area. It’s gritty and sometimes grim, but it never loses sight of the humanity of those on either side of the thin blue line.

BBC's Blue Lights moves crime drama away from Line of Duty-style ... (digitalspy.com)

BBC One's Blue Lights sees three police rookies working in Belfast, facing criminal gangs and communities divided by the legacy of The Troubles.

That in turn brings a real sense of vulnerability and danger to scenes as mundane as driving through the streets on the lookout for trouble. "The level of violence was a shock to some." While we've seen plenty of baggage-riddled detectives join new police forces, Blue Lights gives us officers entirely new to policing. You can't really begrudge the move since there's a baying mob in the cul-de-sac outside – not that the car offers much of a sense of security when there are then glass bottles lobbed at the windows. The rookies are a well-crafted trio who seem true to life. TV viewers are certainly never in short supply of new crime drama.